Labels: Grim Reality Records
Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital
Release Date: 12 Oct 2018
Tracklist:
1. Black And Blue
2. Cursed
3. The Novel
4. Cease To Exist
5. End Me
When I first started this blog one of the music genres that really excited me was hardcore. It still does and that's why I've chosen to feature Swiss modern hardcore band Invoker as way to belatedly celebrate the blog's 8th anniversary. After releasing their debut EP "Loose Lips Sink Ships" in late 2013, this Lucerne trio has gone onto release their first full-length :Four Wall Nightmare" and are carrying on that momentum with new EP "Cursed To Feel". The European hardcore scene stretches far and wide, encompassing many bands of differing styles yet Switzerland seems underrepresented, until now that is!
I was expecting “Cursed To Feel” to sound very much like a melodic hardcore record but Black And Blue is a furiously-blasting slab of hardcore with crazy kick-drumming, cinematic guitars and vocals that belong in a power-violence band. This is angry stuff but it also transcends those negative emotions and makes you feel elated. There’s a throwback to European metalcore bands like Caliban towards the end of the song too, with clean/semi-clean singing and memorable hooks.
The momentum rages on through Cursed, which is a mix of solid, abrasive hardcore and atmospheric post-hardcore. Invoker aren’t content with following the crowd on this EP and using their raw emotion to deliver a sound that’s this infectious, shows that they should be very much bigger than they are. As you may expect from it’s title, The Novel is slightly more laid-back initially though that feeling of relaxation is soon shattered as the band launches into a song that’s got a rhythm section to die for and a running time that has no reason to stick around. It’s songs like this that leave their mark.
At this point you might think that my review is somewhat contrived but I genuinely mean what I say, or else I wouldn’t be reviewing this EP. Penultimate song Cease To Exist sees Invoker going back to their PV-esque best while filling the it with off-kilter riffs and stomping breakdowns. Despite the negative connotations of EP closer End Me, you’re once again dragged up from the brink and left feeling empowered by the violence that you’ve just experienced. The moments of introspection really accentuate the heaviness that’s presented and while i’d stop just short of saying that the golden age of metalcore might be returning here, “Cursed To Feel” and indeed Invoker is not far off at all. This is massive and easily one of the best modern hardcore releases of 2018.
You can stream and purchased "Cursed To Feel" digitally below:-
Invoker - https://www.facebook.com/weareinvoker/
Pre-orders for the 12" vinyl pressing of "Cursed To Feel" have just gone live via Grim Reality Records here - https://grimrealityrecords.bigcartel.com/product/preorder-invoker-cursed-to-feel-12
Grim Reality Records - https://www.facebook.com/GrimRealityRecords/
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