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.
Highlights
"...And So It Begins"
"Dystopia Arise"
Final Rating
3.5/5 or 70%.