Invasion - ...And So It Begins

We are pretty deep into the thrash resurgence at this point. While few of these bands were original in the first place, it definitely seems like we’re beyond the point of saturation now. That isn’t to say that there aren’t many great bands still putting out solid thrash records, but there are definitely becoming too many thrash bands to keep track of. While Sweden’s Invasion does partially fall into this category, they do have some elements that prevent them from falling into obscurity.

“…And So It Begins” is pretty much exactly what you would expect Swedish thrash to sound like. It of course has the essential thrash riffs, but they are channeled through some weird offspring of the famed old-school Swedish death metal guitar tone. In addition, the band has some riffs that would not be out of place on “Slaughter of the Soul” or various other melodic death metal records. With the use of blast beats and extremely harsh (but not guttural) vocals, this record straddles the line between thrash and death metal. The closest point of comparison is to fellow Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge. The music is relenting; the drums never stop or slow down, while the guitars supply an endless stream of riffs. Unfortunately, this makes the record fall a bit flat. Playing with intensity is great, but there are no real highs or lows on this album; it’s simply 41 minutes of thrashing. The vocals tend to remain fairly monotonous, and while there are plenty of good riffs on the album, few of them are truly memorable. Ultimately, your enjoyment of “…And So It Begins” is mainly dependent on how much you enjoy the Swedish influences the band brings, and whether or not you are interested in a relentless thrash assault.

Invasion may not be the most original band, but they are just distant enough from the crowd to be enjoyable. Personally, this is not my favourite style of thrash, but it is certainly serviceable. It would be nice to see more emphasis on distinctive songwriting, and maybe some more guitar solos or even Iron Maiden-esque leads to keep things interesting. Despite all of my criticism, there are too many riffs on the album to not give it at least a couple of thorough listens.

Be sure to check out and like Invasion on Facebook!

Highlights

"...And So It Begins"

"Dystopia Arise"

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott 

Astronomikon - Dark Gorgon Rising

If there is one European country that I have never heard any metal from, it would be Cyprus. Until now, that is. Astronomikon hails from this metal-barren area, and as the first representative of their country, the band delivers enjoyable, unique heavy metal. To call it strictly heavy metal, might be a bit of a misnomer. On the one hand, the band is driven by the powerful vocals of Nicholas Leptos, who sounds similar to Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire). Despite that clear melodic power metal influence, most of the music resembles a progressive USPM band. It isn’t so much the riffs themselves that are impactful, but the way it all comes together that make these songs come alive. The advantage of this style of writing is that it makes most of the songs quite distinctive, and in this case, quite good.

Part of Astronomikon’s appeal is their heavy usage of eastern sounding melodies. Nearly every single track features, at the very least, some obvious Egyptian or Middle Eastern influence. The opener, “Anatolia”, is the most obvious and best example of this sound. The only song that had a very different feel was “For You I Will Die Young”. The opening of this track sounds like it was pulled directly from Rhapsody of Fire. Leptos’ incredible vocals take center-stage as the other instruments provide only rhythmic support. This track also displays Leptos’ unparalleled vocal range; the chorus shows him stretching his voice to the absolute limits. In general, it is Leptos who really drives this record. Although the music is by no means very traditional sounding for metal, this great singer adds another dimension to the music. One aspect I would have liked to see further explored was to add more guitar leads. This is a melody-driven band, but moments like the opening of “Perseas Eurymedon” display how potent the guitar tone on this record is. Only good things could come from more emphasis on the guitars. Most of the other elements of this album are quite standard; as mentioned above, all of the aspects of this record combined are what make it truly worthwhile.

“Dark Gorgon Rising” is certainly an accessible record, but it’s one that will be enjoyed even more over time. The use of melodies is just a little bit different from what you might expect, and the incredible talent with the band accentuates that. It may very well be that having a unique location has helped this band create an atypical sound, but in any case, it is one well worth hearing. All fans of any kind of power metal or progressive music should listen to Astronomikon immediately!

Be sure to check out and like Astronomikon on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/astronomikon?fref=ts

Highlights

"The Spell I'm Under"

"Bloodborn"

"For You I Will Die Young"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott