Perpetual Conversion – Demo CD (Self-Release)
By Jay Snyder
November 20, 2007

Here’s a demo from a new doom project out of Eugene, Oregon. The band in question here is Perpetual Conversion; a three-piece featuring guitars, drums and bass. It is an almost all girl band with exception of Terry who plays the axe and is in charge of lead vocals. This is an all around impressive demo. Perpetual Conversion reminds me a little bit of their fellow statesmen Kilauea who blew me away with their demo several months back. The two bands are not only similar in state but slightly reminiscent of each other in sound too. This is crusty doom that is dirty and knuckle-dragging but manages to latch on to some stellar grooves as well. The vocals are surprisingly tinged with melody and are completely decipherable while still having a level of dirty grit behind them. Lyrically, I’m totally digging on the bitter tales that the songs convey. The rhythm section comprised of Paula (bass) and Micaela (drums) keep a venerable emphasis on dirge-y groove and plodding pacing respectively. The overall sound is full and punishing with great guitar riffs that call to mind a number of classic acts.

The lengthy opener “Lonely Crawl” starts out with supreme heaviness that sounds like vintage Celtic Frost bulldozing through a Sabbath cover. It is a wall of throbbing punishment that takes a surprising turn into classic doom swing as played by Crowbar. The song changes the pace up a bit later with a groove that maintains the thundering doom swagger but still has a slightly more metallic skin showing. The song continues to trudge forward and eventually allows a lone bass lick to dominate the proceedings. The drums and guitar follow next and the band lock onto a mournful groove that reminds me of something like The Obsessed. Perpetual Conversion puts their unique mark on it for sure and this part has a very depressing tonality that ends the song on the perfect note.

This is a truly memorable first track that channels its power into the following ditty, “I am Master” which is a different monster overall but retains the band’s grip on superior songwriting skills. This song has a wicked groove going but is even more slovenly paced than the first song. The band again unleashes huge grooves that will stick to your brain but the whole affair is certainly more pissed-off than the first track. The lead vocals of Terry sound more akin to Dave Sherman at his most gravelly on this track. There are also dueling vocals here as bassist Paula contributes some backing screams that give the track a more rusty sheen than the first tune. The song oozes forth not wavering on its initial promise until the final stretch which finds them again capitalizing on a soulful, doom swing that more than once had me thinking of various Wino outings. These melodic riffs switch off with more dirt-ridden runs that give the band their very own character as they drift off into total doom one last time in the song’s final seconds.

The band was also nice enough to include their cover of Buzzov*en’s “Wound” on this disc which will appear on the upcoming “Unfit to Consume”, Buzzov*en tribute. They do a damn good job on this cover too. The sample is a bit different and the riffing has Perpetual Conversion’s own signature but for the most part this is a very honoring cover. Paula also does vocals on this one sounding completely possessed in the process. She does an excellent sneer that brings plenty of gusto into this cover as they target the classic sludge juggernaut’s “Wound” dead on.

This is an awesome debut showing a lot of potential from this trio. The original songs on here are tight with no room to unravel. The band rides the peaks and valleys of a song in ways that suck you right in making you press the replay button to hear the madness all over again. This is a band to watch as I can surely see bigger things on the horizon. They’ve got the classic spirit of the doom legends but temper that sound with their own recipe of crusty grit. Seriously, doom fans take note and check out this demo as I think that we’ll be hearing more great things from Perpetual Conversion in the not so distant future.


Visit the Perpetual Conversion website at www.myspace.com/perpetualconversion