Conjurer (band)

Lore & Background

Conjurer were formed in 2014 by Brady Deeprose and Dani Nightingale, with Andy Price and Jan Krause completing the lineup. Krause had previously played drums for British death-doom band Esoteric. The group built their following through frequent live performances, with Deeprose citing Rugby's central location within the UK as helping the band reach a variety of venues. In 2016, Conjurer released their first EP, "I", via Holy Roar Records and performed at Bloodstock and Damnation festivals. Their debut full-length album, Mire, was released in 2018, with influences including Gojira and The Black Dahlia Murder. Bassist Andy Price left just after Mire was recorded and was replaced by Conor Marshall. That year also saw festival performances at ArcTanGent and 2000Trees, and a tour supporting Conan.

In 2019 the band signed with Nuclear Blast and released three new pieces of material: "Conjurer on Audiotree Live", a live recording; "Curse These Metal Hands", a collaborative EP with Pijn; and a split with Palm Reader covering Slipknot's "Vermillion" and Mastodon's "Blood and Thunder". They also performed at Download Festival, toured the United States supporting Rivers of Nihil, and later supported Voivod on a North American tour. In 2021, Conjurer played the Download Pilot, a COVID-19 research event, and performed at Bloodstock Open Air and Damnation Festival. Drummer Jan Krause left after these festivals for mental health reasons but still performed on 2022's "Páthos"; he was replaced by Noah See. The band released their second album, "Páthos", in 2022, and supported Carcass on their 2023 UK tour. They are currently set to play a six-date tour of small venues with Unpeople as part of the "United by Music" tour organized by the Music Venue Trust.

Reader's Guide

Conjurer emerged from the UK underground in the mid-2010s, quickly establishing themselves through relentless live performance and a sound that blends sludge, doom, and post-metal. Their early EP "I" and debut album Mire garnered attention within the heavy music scene, leading to a signing with Nuclear Blast in 2019. The band's collaborative projects—particularly the "Curse These Metal Hands" EP with Pijn and the split with Palm Reader—demonstrated their willingness to experiment outside their core style. Their second album, "Páthos", received critical notice, with Kerrang! declaring them "one of the finest metal bands out there right now." Conjurer's significance lies in their ability to navigate between underground credibility and broader recognition, as evidenced by festival appearances at Download, Hellfest, and ArcTanGent, as well as tours with Conan, Rivers of Nihil, Voivod, and Carcass. Their involvement in the Music Venue Trust's "United by Music" tour highlights a commitment to supporting small venues. The band's legacy is still developing, but they have already become a notable force in contemporary British heavy metal.

Did You Know?

• Conjurer's collaborative EP "Curse These Metal Hands" with Pijn is named after a quote from the British sitcom Peep Show.
• Drummer Jan Krause previously played drums for British death-doom band Esoteric.
• The band's 2021 Download Pilot performance was part of a British government COVID-19 event research programme.
• Conjurer were put forward for the "United by Music" tour by Kerrang! magazine.

Origins and the Grind of the Live Circuit

Conjurer emerged in 2014 from Rugby, Warwickshire, when Brady Deeprose and Dani Nightingale brought the project to life. Andy Price on bass and Jan Krause on drums rounded out the initial four-piece; Krause had previously played keyboards for the British death-doom outfit Esoteric. Rather than relying on studio releases to gain traction, the group deliberately built their audience through relentless live performance. Deeprose has noted that Rugby's geographic position at the heart of the UK gave them practical access to a wide spread of venues across the country. In 2016, their debut EP I arrived on Holy Roar Records, and around that same period they secured slots at both Bloodstock and Damnation, two of the UK's most prominent heavy-music festivals. Their first full-length, Mire, dropped in 2018 with cited influences ranging from Gojira to The Black Dahlia Murder. The album's recording also marked a personnel shift: Price departed shortly after tracking was complete and was succeeded by Conor Marshall. That same year the band played ArcTanGent and 2000Trees and embarked on a UK tour in support of fellow doom-metal act Conan.

2019: A Pivotal Year of Expansion

The year 2019 proved to be a watershed for Conjurer. They secured a deal with Nuclear Blast Records and, in the same twelve months, put out three distinct pieces of material. The first was Conjurer on Audiotree Live, a digital-only recording of five previously released tracks captured in Audiotree's well-known live-session format. The second was Curse These Metal Hands, a four-track EP born from a collaboration with British post-rock band Pijn. The third was a split release with fellow British act Palm Reader, on which each band covered two songs from well-known metal and rock acts; Conjurer took the A-side, delivering their takes on Slipknot's Vermillion and Mastodon's Blood and Thunder. Beyond the studio, 2019 saw the band appear at Download Festival, complete their first-ever tour of the United States in support of Rivers of Nihil, and follow that with a further North American run backing Voivod. They also returned to both ArcTanGent and 2000Trees, cementing their status as a fixture on the UK's festival circuit while simultaneously breaking into the international scene.

Páthos and the Road to Critical Acclaim

In 2021, Conjurer played the Download Pilot, a two-day event with a 10,000-person capacity that formed part of the UK government's research programme for reopening live venues during the pandemic. They also returned to Bloodstock Open Air and Damnation Festival that year. Following those shows, drummer Jan Krause stepped away from the band citing mental-health reasons, though his contributions to the forthcoming album—drums, keyboards, and samples—remained intact. Noah See took over the drum chair. The result was Páthos, released in 2022, which earned a striking endorsement from Paul Travers at Kerrang!, who named Conjurer one of the finest metal bands out there right now. The summer of 2022 saw the band perform at Hellfest, Radar Festival, and ArcTanGent once more, and they also joined End on a European support tour. In 2023 they backed Carcass on the Bloody Blighty UK tour alongside Unto Others. More recently, Kerrang! nominated Conjurer for a six-date United by Music tour with British alternative-rock group Unpeople, a series of small-venue shows organised by the Music Venue Trust and funded by the UK National Lottery.

A Fluid Sound and a Collaborative Spirit

Conjurer's music resists easy subgenre labelling; critics and listeners alike have described it as non-specific, with sludge metal, doom metal, and post-metal elements all frequently identified in their sound. The band themselves have pointed to Gojira and The Black Dahlia Murder as formative influences. Their willingness to collaborate sets them apart in a scene that often prizes solo authorship. The most prominent example is Curse These Metal Hands, a project uniting members of Conjurer with British post-rock band Pijn. It began as a one-off performance at ArcTanGent in 2018, blossomed into a four-track EP in 2019, and has since returned to the ArcTanGent stage in both 2019 and 2023. The name is a nod to the British sitcom Peep Show, referencing a musical project of characters Jeremy Usbourne and Super Hans. Their 2019 split with Palm Reader, in which each band covered two songs from well-known metal and rock acts, further underscores their comfort with reinterpretation. Their discography—spanning the 2016 EP I, the 2018 album Mire, 2022's Páthos, and the 2025 release Unself—reflects a band that continues to evolve while remaining rooted in heavy, atmospheric metal.

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