So this is the year I’ve written most reviews for Chilean metal albums. This is my fifth one this year (I actually had a sixth one planned but someone beat me to it). But what can I say? Chilean metalheads have been working hard. How hard? Just image-google “Chile metal bands per capita”. I’ll be waiting. *Pause for dramatic suspension* See?! Takeaways from my reviews on the latest Unaussprechlichen Kulten, Pentagram Chile, Mayhemic and Wrathprayer are: 1) Extreme metal bands are booming in Chile and 2) they manage to sound different from each other. And these are the reasons why I’m so excited for the current wave of great releases from my home country.
But let’s leave patriotism aside, shall we? Here we have Invocation entering the arena with their debut, The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures). They have been around for almost a decade now, releasing their first demo in 2016. They then managed to get a deal with the great label Iron Bonehead in 2018, having released two EPs before this album. It's worth mentioning that their second EP, Attunement To Death, could have been considered a full length on its own, being 31 minutes and just 3 minutes shorter than The Archaic Sanctuary. Anyway, the point is that this is a band that has been picked up pretty early by the death metal underground, and for good reasons.
Out of all the Chilean bands I’ve covered this year, Invocation is perhaps the least original of the bunch. After all, death metal of the cavernous variety has been very popular for more than a decade now. However, they are also the filthiest, most rotten one of the bunch. Their sepulchral tone was achieved through a production work that perfectly matches this style of death metal. The Archaic Sanctuary packs just the right amount of rawness. When the riffs go slow and low, they are beyond morbid and carry the rumbling force of an earthquake, but when they go for higher notes, they are fiery and intimidating. Invocation doesn't show off any crazy dissonance, and instead focuses on the catchiness and memorability of the riffs. This is a tradition that has been well documented in the Chilean extreme metal scene, where meaty, thrashy riffs are the foundation of most bands, and Invocation is no different in that regard. What took me by surprise, however, was the titanic drumming. You don’t always need to add many intricacies to your performance; sometimes being convincingly potent is enough. Invocation’s drummer knows this, and his bestial performance is precise, powerful and with stamina for days. It is the commanding force behind The Archaic Sanctuary, as it leads and guides the riffs in tasteful fashion.
It is true, Invocation is not breaking any new ground with this brand of cavernous death metal, but does it really matter when the final product is this well written, performed and produced? Not at all. Those who seek dark, twisted and riff-tastic old-school death metal better check this out before the year’s end!
