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>>"Mmm...monolithic post rock excellence from Maine, which we've been waiting to hear for awhile. Opening with swooshing, bleeping electronic ambience and eerie plaintive melody, CONIFER quickly engage in slow-burning, gradually building metallic indie post-rock exercises that comprise this forty-eight minute debut. Somewhere between the creeping epic dirge of Neurosis, Pelican, and Isis, Seam / Slint -esque post-rock, and the wonky sludge of Harvey Milk and Cable, these guys also bust out some wicked prog dexterity, complex riffs and brontosaurus-stomp stoner pummel, massive monstrous downer gunk a la Khanate and Buried At Sea, bizarre goblin vocals, pretty melodic indie passages, gorgeous celestial electronics, and so much more.... always developing the songs and riffs and ideas as Conifer wander down weird, distorted paths that you wouldn't normally expect from a band in the "heavy metallic post-rock" realm. It's fucking earth shaking, that's for sure."
- Crucial Blast >>"Bands have been naming themselves after all manner of objects and creatures since the beginning of rock and roll. Heavy bands tending toward the mighty, the fierce or at least the very large. All manner of monsters and demons, various tigers and lions and even some sea creatures have been represented. But the largest, most imposing objects in nature have been sadly neglected as a source for inspiration and band-naming. TREES. So we have Conifer to right that wrong. And in doing so, judging from this ferocious slab of indie rock / metal sludge hypno-pummel, you'd certainly be forgiven for thinking this particular tree could take on any of the rock demons and metallic beasties that came before. Conifer sleepily trawl through the dark recesses of post rock, taking the languorous slow burning churn of bands like Slint or Seam Or Bastro, all dark and brooding, simple and insistent, and stretching the riffs and melodies into expansive stretches of moody melancholy, swathed in Pink Floydian swoosh and whirl, before dropping the bomb. Massive downtuned guitars explode, splitting post rock atoms into clumps of corrosive riffage, peppered with raspy howls and screeching banshee melodies, sometimes gaining momentum and becoming unstoppable exercises in epic doomy drone-metal ala Neurosis or Isis, sometimes becoming glacial explorations into slow motion doom a la Khanate, and other times employing distorted ghostly computer vocals and buzzing psychedelia into Butthole Surfers-like sonic freakouts. A lot of this does definitely sound like Isis, Neurosis, Pelican or Buried At Sea, which is obviously a good thing, but more often it sounds like a doom-sludge A Minor Forest or a post rock Boris or a very metal Slint. Which is an even better thing!" - Aquarius Records >>"And in their recorded material, CONIFER goes even further in pursuing a dramatic landscape which contrasts the "more is more" philosophy of contemporary mega-metal acts, with classic, minimalist "less is more" guitar events arrayed amidst incredibly subdued drum punctuation; all floating in great echoing spaces and great eons of musical time. The effect is of returning these heavy metal cliches to the great pantheon of orchestral effects from which they was originally borrowed. The mixture of classic symphonic effects and fully rocked out manifestation is like colliding warm and cold front that produces the heaviest weather. SO...When they do let loose one of them thar classical speed metal crescendos or hellacious n horrific vocal configurations, after a long slow softly articulated passage, the effect is like watching gigantic geo thermal forces moving from sea level to the stratosphere from a satellite camera." - www.avantgodot.com >>"And it was A-fucking OK. And Conifer says you gotta sing a song with us. And they explain it to me and the red wine sloshes up the neck of the bottle and down my throat and it's hot hot hot and I agree and when these guys line all their amps across the stage front, unfurl the fucking screen, put the drummer in the audience and start CRUSHING IT TO DEATH I feel like goddamned JAMES BROWN and we rip it to pieces." - Eugene Robinson of the mighty OXBOW >>"However, the cool thing is that it's not doomy or sludgy in a typical manner at all, there's a subtle hint of melody in there with scattered bits of noisy lead playing and such, and lots of stuttered rhythms and atypical atmospheres. Plus, nothing sticks around for too long, so there are extended passages of significant repetition, but in the grand scheme of almost 24 minutes the song transforms itself a good four or five times, if not more!" - Aversion Online >>"Metal fans who measure heaviness in terms of density would do themselves well to get in on the ground-floor, as Conifer’s music is rich in a diversity and inventiveness which at no time hinders their ability or will to bring down unrestrained heaviness upon the heads of their listeners. This self-titled debut is a deep and involving album which manages to never get lost in its own machinations." - John Gnesin of Digital Metal >>"the song gradually keeps on building, bringing sludge noise and prog dexterity into one 20+ minute song that has more depth and complexity than most bands have during their entire careers. Just when you have Conifer figured out, they casually switch directions." - John Pegoraro, Stonerrock.com >>"Every few years, something special gets placed upon us, musically speaking of course and I am one to instantly jump on this bandwagon. No band, none has made me rethink everything about music the way, Conifer does. With building soundscapes that seem to go on forever, while melody is swirling around the drums and bass are locked together to fuse the whole thing into a complete rhythm all the while pushing the boundaries further, until it breaks at the right moment to step back and see the new. This here ladies and gentlemen, is the new!" - Absolut Metal >>"An amazing new sludge band from Maine, Conifer melds the many disparate strains of sludge into a cohesive and dangerous sound. As filthy and pissed as Eyehategod and as cosmic and weird as Yob, Conifer is essential listening for those seeking a solid, dirgy mind-fuck." - Relapse Records >>"Sludge. Just saying the name makes you feel dirty. Yet there's something fitting about the fact that Maine is currently New England's sludge-metal hotbed. Given the recent trend of ridiculous technicality in metal, slower sounds have been overdue for a resurgence. Conifer is leading the charge. Their hour-long disc has only four tracks; the opener, "Troy," is every bit as epic as the battle. Think Isis, but a little slower, with crunchier guitars, more swagger and less vocals. The song structures are long and spacious but not in the least bit sluggish; there's a majestic confidence that keeps the songs interesting at every turn." - Dan Barry The Hartford Advocate >>"...proceeds to march across your face with nuclear tank-treads. Mostly instrumental, the guitars pummel like virulent melted lead and the drums announce themselves like cannons, all the while touched with a good bit more melody than you might expect. To say that this is massive and easily one of the best musical meals you’ll eat in 2004 may even be an understatement." - Ray D / Chaos Realm >>"Chances are, if you're at all knowledgeable about anything good, you've heard of Maine's Conifer. Creating a whirlwind all of their own and having just returned from tour, they have finally released their long awaited full length. Forming waves of atmostpheric heaviness, Conifer leads you through an hour of mammoth soundscapes allowing an experience not unlike that of Isis and Pelican. Enveloping you in massive metallic grooves, Conifer is set to destroy the stereos of adventurous heavy music afficionados everywhere." - Peter Blue Heavy Rotation >>"Just got this disc. Its fucking good, no doubt, but its no substitute for seeing them live. There are certain elements to Conifer that you cannot convey when you're listening to them on recorded media... it almost seems as though any sort of media cannot contain the absolute encompassing nature of Conifer. As has been said, Conifer's music isn't music, its a goddamn experience to be shared with rowdy metal heads and several pints of beer. You can't feel the distortion shake your bones with a CD. That's all I can really say about that. Life's a box of chocolates, you never know if its been loaded with C4 and is destined to turn you into a cloudy puff of red." - SmallBrownRatFuck >>"good, not great still the most important record i've heard in 10 years. look into the future and then realize the past. these cats arn't revisionist historians, they are phantasy prophets. lookining for the better future in the wreckage of the past. menancing, mean and not a dialouge on there lives at all. aloof, disturbing and alive. it's like fucking disneyland, but it sucks." - brodisatva >> Sam Pfeifle of The Portland Phoenix wrote: "It’s more than a bit disquieting, like an orc beating a large animal over the head repeatedly with a club, just to see what happens." - the rest of the review can be found here. >> "You guys are all weird!!!" - Some dude in Minneapolis >> "I could tell from their first performance in Indy and the last one in Little Rock (with all the lights out, no less) that they were tighter than a fat man in an airplane seat." - Steve of Devil To Pay >> "they we amazing, what else can you say? I think that they should package what they got and sell it to other bands." - The Reverend of Return To The Pit >> Josh of Defy Unlearn wrote: "Hailing from Portland, Maine, Conifer is currently one of New England's best kept secrets. There is no other band in New England that can compare to the style of Conifer. These wild boys played two untitled instrumentals for an amazing half-hour set. Conifer has grown a lot since the last time I saw them, they appear to be more focused, determined and unified. Their sound is somewhat deranged but lucid. There's always evolution when they play, a constant progression of riffage that builds and builds to some astonishing climaxes. They have a great rhythmic pulse to their music; it never yields to any breakdown, just keeps going, like an old car traveling on the Kangamangus Highway. They finished up their first song and for a moment it appeared that they were finished until the crowd pleaded for one more. Give these dudes a listen!" - the rest of the review is here. >> "Conifer put me into a trance. As soon as they record a CD, Im getting it." - Peter D. from Raising Kubrick >> "they were out of their minds!" - Joe of NotCommon Records >> "Conifer is one of the greatest live acts I've yet seen. I've only seen them twice but I have been into each note of the set each time. Their music has a very odd effect on the mind, I had some strange visions during their set." - Al Ravage >> “It's like slint and the new melvins had a baby “ - the Reverend - Return To The Pit >> "Dirge for the soul....” - Brad from Kevorkian's Angels 
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