Most bands formed in secondary schools have one immediate goal: win the local battle of the bands competition. More Than Conquerors, however, decided to do things a little backward. They had won before they had even formed.
Belfast-natives Kris Platt, Jamie Neish, Danny Ball and Danny Morton entered a local competition in 2009, for the craic, but ended up winning. More Than Conquerors, you could say, are born winners.
The precocious newborn was quickly snapped up by Norn-Iron based record label, Smalltown America, releasing their debut self-titled EP soon after.
But now, it’s all about ‘Boots & Bones’, the latest and greatest. It’s a lot darker than their debut. Front-man Kris Platt has matured, with a band behind him who know we’re they want to go. They sound steadier, confident, less gimmicky, more polished. While they’ve always shown potential, they’ve delivered with Boots & Bones.
Everyone scream in unison, “I never saw it comin’!” ‘Oh My Son!’ is a fantastic opener. We start on a distant drumming, which doesn’t in the slightest prepare us for what’s coming—raging hooks and vocals omitting more sparks than a welder’s wand. Hints of Platt’s Irish accent are endearingly scattered throughout his pronunciations—only serving to enrich the track—producing a similar upshot to Simon Neil’s Scottish twang in Biffy Clyro’s greats.
A stuttering riff signals that a ‘Bear Knuckle Fight’ is about to begin. The track tells the story of getting eaten by a bear. Perhaps not meant to be taken in the most literal sense, yet the song growls at you like the grizzly predator itself. I can imagine that this would translate brilliantly to a live audience, it’s a real head-banger, but in the most intelligent sense. The latter half of the track is a thumping riff reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys’ early days, which meshes into a chorus of steady rock that wouldn’t be out-of-place in a sweaty stateside bar during the noughties’ screamo boom.
‘The Deer & The Fox’ is the most forgettable of the EP, but is still nothing to skip over. It’s a bit schizophrenic. Smooth, velvety vocals are intertwined with jittery riffs and pulsating drums. Harmonies are electric, mixing soft ‘ooohs’ with harsh screams to underline Platt’s meandering vocals.
If Soundcloud was a physical piece of hardware, the ‘play’ button would have worn out from the amount of times I’ve hit it on ‘Hunting for the Whale’. It’s absolutely beautiful and a slow, welcome break from the earlier hyperactive pace.
The rhythm thuds like a sonic heartbeat, creating an entrancing atmosphere. Usually I’m not a huge fan of voice effects, but every enhancement here has been crafted to perfection. Platt’s vocals are captivating, carrying you delicately through the song, echoed at all the right moments. Integrating distortion with ethereal acoustics gives a dreamy feel that airily rises out of the speakers.
“I’m hunting for the whale, that tore me apart,” sings Platt. Perhaps he had some sort of traumatic wildlife-related incident when he was younger? “Though I set sail on the, restless sea. Just to find that I’m a sinking ship, without you.” Perhaps not. It seems he’s being ‘torn apart’ by something else. It’s a fantastic song which truly exhibit’s the range of this band. They’re not ones to hide behind their loud, hammering instrumentals.
“Never have I seen, a lion eat a man,” sings Platt on ‘A Lion, A Man’, perhaps confirming that the band should have named this EP ‘When Animals Attack’.
The track is a wired-up explosive, building up to the final detonation. Thrashing drums, dirty guitars, even dirtier vocals—it’s all there. The use of distortion effects nod to the likes of Issac Brock, but Platt maintains a similar tone to Benjamin Gibbard, providing a delicacy amid it’s gritty nature. A serious finale.
While this was a trip to a very dangerous zoo, I still can’t wait for the whole safari. Hurry up with that album, yeah?
Buy the album now at IndependentMusic.com