Album Review: Pijn & Conjurer – Curse These Metal Hands

You may have an idea of what to expect from a band combining members of Midlands riff demons Conjurer, and Pijn, the Mancunian purveyors of epic, elegiac post-rock. And certainly, heavy riffs and widescreen weightiness are to be found on this EP from the union of those outfits. So too, however, does a sense of playfulness, warmth and outright joy, captured both by their Peep Show-referencing title and, more pertinently, the way opener High Spirits lives up to its name with the sonic equivalent of the sun emerging from behind clouds.

Originally commissioned for a collaborative performance at last year’s ArcTanGent festival and due to appear there again this year, there’s never a sense here that the members have approached CTMH with any less dedication than they put into their full-time bands. These four songs serve to highlight how special Pijn and Conjurer are, while standing on their own merits as a rip-roaring one-off.

Verdict: KKKK

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