Review: Stone Healer – Conquistador

Style: Progressive Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Dan
Country: USA
Release date: 30 April, 2021

The incredible diversity of extant music provides a nearly infinite palette from which to paint new recordings upon the canvas of silence, yet only a few offerings each year seem to provide truly fresh colors to the saturated landscapes of death metal. I would argue that Conquistador, the sophomore full-length from the brothers Kaminsky, is indeed such an album. Combining disparate influences of Opethian folk, grunge, desert rock, and borderline dissonant black metal into a highly dynamic and razor sharp stream-of-consciousness journey, Stone Healer has created something delightfully fresh and enjoyable, without being so far out of the mainstream norm as to be unpalatable.

For me personally, I create the music that I wish existed in the world: a unique combination of influences that combine together to fill a void. I sum together aspects I love from music I love, and the end result is unquestionably mine. From this perspective, I feel an incredible kinship with Stone Healer‘s everything-but-the-drummer Dave Kaminsky. On Conquistador, his self-professed love of rock and roll collides with his desire for blastbeats, and thus the unlikely musical chimera that is Stone Healer takes form.

From the opening southern-tinged acoustic guitars, cowbell, and heartfelt singing of “One Whisper,” the wild ride that follows is hard to predict. It rocks and it rolls through catchy choruses, emotional pleas, and convulsing blackened mindfuckery that nods to both Ulcerate and Krallice in its meandering melodies and impossibly tight drumming change-ups. There’s an impeccable balance between straightforward grooves and technical, odd-metered unpredictability. Chemistry borne of a lifetime of siblings playing music together is evident in every note – Dave and Matt are flawlessly synchronized, and seem to read each others’ minds in a way only years of experience together can produce. Every transition is thoughtfully crafted for maximum impact, and every passage is carefully composed in context. Don’t let the disparate elements described above dissuade you – the songwriting here is absolutely outstanding. The riffs are melodic and soulful, the arrangements are dense and multifaceted, and the lengthy songs are full of – and induce – effortless movement.

The lyrics, too, are deeply personal and brutally honest, detailing a challenging period of Dave Kaminsky’s life. Their delivery though may be the weakest part of Conquistador. They never really enter the fully harsh and distorted realm of typical black or death metal vocals; instead, the harshes are kind of shouty screams, pained and painful sounding, though largely competent. The melodic singing – which makes up the majority of the record – ranges from grungy bravado, to Alice in Chains-inspired harmonies, to more intimate crooning, but I do wish it was a bit stronger in a few places. There’s a slight unsteadiness to Dave’s voice that’s both endearing and earnest, but also slightly off-putting if you’re seeking musical perfection.

Looking past this initial judgement of the vocals, however, one finds a memorable and compelling combination of phenomenal guitar playing, unpredictable song structures with massive dynamics, and pure, honest expression. As the songs veer into cleaner territory, however, the pervasive influence of Opeth, particularly of their Damnation style clean passages, is a bit too prominent to disregard. A more mature effort would mask this influence behind something more uniquely expressive, but the passages themselves are well written, well played, and still rather enjoyable. The uniqueness of the heavier sections also helps to balance this criticism, and despite these minor gripes – and the album’s abrupt ending – the overall presentation is superb.

The guitar tones are warm and clear, the bass is bright and present, the drums are not overpowering and well balanced, and the vocals sit perfectly no matter how they’re being delivered. The separation and interplay between the various layers is fantastic. The instrumental performances are all flawless and lively – both brothers truly excel at their instruments. The lead guitar playing, especially, is full of character and variety, and consistently hits home.

Despite its imperfections, Conquistador is absolutely one of my favorite things to come out this year. I don’t know that it’s for everyone, especially those who typically fixate heavily on over-produced vocalists, but it’s an honest and unique album filled with emotion and life that I know I’ll be listening to repeatedly for years to come. I can’t recommend it enough.

Recommended tracks: One Whisper, Surrender, Until My Will is Gone, Into The Spoke of Night
Recommended for fans of: The deranged spawn of Opeth, Alice in Chains, Bask, and Krallice
Final verdict: 8/10

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Stone Healer is:
– Matt Kaminsky (drums)
– Dave Kaminsky (everything else)