Conan - Live At Freak Valley (2021)

Holy good god, how are Conan not tearing a hole in space and time when they plug in? Even black holes envy how this band can warp the fabric of reality with their down tuned, sludge-O-matic style of doom. Conan are dropping their third live album, Live at Freak Valley, March 12 via Napalm Records. Nine songs of three-chord punishment drilled through Marshall and Orange speaker stacks. Feel the fuzz!
Of course, when you’re talking about live records, there’s the production and sound aspect you have to address, which is literally flawless on this album. I’ve said this in the past regarding Conan—they’re better live than in studio, which is the total opposite of most bands. Conan should tear a page out of the Blue Cheer handbook and just record everything outdoors in front of an audience.
Conan are all about flexing its volume muscle, something the band are very good at. Track six, “Satsumo” illustrates this pretty well. It’s heavy, it’s fast and it’s guaranteed to crush skulls. It’s also the best track on this record. Track four, “Battle in the Swamp” is a close second.
A good way to describe the sound and vibe of Conan’s Live at Freak Valley is, it’s the sonic equivalent of a tidal wave colliding with an earthquake played through a Marshall stack. There’s nothing bad about this record, nothing not to like. It’s a lot of “WYSISYG,” and what you get with Conan is heaps and loads of deafening volume and organ shifting heaviness.
Bottom line: Conan are an amazing live band, and Live at Freak Valley catches them in their natural habitat doing what they do best: rocking, blowing minds, and pulverizing eardrums.