This ruthless Chilean horde returns with more of their “Ritualistic and Hypnotic Black and Death Metal”, canvassing past, present, and future in their first full-length offering.
At long last, nearly a decade after their formation, Valparaíso, Chile-based Black/Death Metal horde Invocation are unleashing their first full-length opus, beautifully entitled The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures), the follow-up to their 2020 EP Attunement to Death. Recorded and mixed by E. Brisso at Equinox Studio, mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio, and displaying a Stygian artwork by Abomination Hammer, the new album by Sense of Premonition on vocals and guitars, Sense of Clairvoyance on bass, and Sense of Clairaudience on drums offers us all more of what the band likes to call “Ritualistic and Hypnotic Black and Death Metal”, canvassing past, present, and future and fittingly framing it with another gritty analog recording rich with sulfurous fire and sepulchral echoes.
Extreme aggression and obscurity flows from all instruments in Ecstatic Trance, where you can sense the fumes emanating from the deep roars by Sense of Premonition, who’s also infernal armed with his stringed axe, followed by The Serpent of Faardal, just as hellish and grim as the opening track, with the rumbling sounds blasted by Sense of Clairvoyance and Sense of Clairaudience showcasing a spot-on balance between Death and Black Metal. Opium Thebiacum (Somniferum) again presents the darkest elements of Black Metal while Sense of Premonition’s primeval gnarls exhale old school Death Metal; and it’s pedal to the metal as the trio will crush our cranial skulls to pieces in Metamorphosis, a vile, demonic attack where the hammering drums by Sense of Clairaudience sound truly evil.
The band shows absolutely no mercy for our rotten souls in Horn of Colima, again blasting sheer Black and Death Metal madness through the scorching riffs by Sense of Premonition and the thunderous, low-tuned bass by Sense of Clairvoyance, and there’s still a lot of fuel to burn, starting with The Psicopompos, offering more of the band’s trademark extreme sounds, with Sense of Clairaudience stealing the spotlight with his unstoppable blast beats. There’s no sign of the trio slowing down or playing any type of mellow music; quite the contrary, they offer the sulfur-infused aria Venus of Laussel, another blast of the underground led by the gruesome vociferations by Sense of Premonition, whereas last but not least the trio will evoke the powers of the underworld in Hypnosis, sounding absolutely harsh, raw and demonic.
It was only a matter of time before Invocation delivered a debut album to capitalize on the massive potential they displayed on their short-lengths, and with The Archaic Sanctuary (Ritual Body Postures), they now can enter the hallowed ranks of fellow cult countrymen Force of Darkness, Slaughtbbath, and the sorely missed Hades Archer, among others, for standard-bearers of classic South American madness. Hence, if you want to feel that metal madness flowing through your veins, you can find more about the band on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their music on Spotify, and above all that, purchase their sulfurous newborn spawn from their own website or from their BandCamp page, inspiring Invocation to keep spearheading the Chilean underground with their endless rage, blasphemy and heaviness for all eternity.
Best moments of the album: Ecstatic Trance, Metamorphosis and The Psicopompos.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2024 Iron Bonehead
Track listing
1. Ecstatic Trance 3:49
2. The Serpent of Faardal 3:31
3. Opium Thebiacum (Somniferum) 3:54
4. Metamorphosis 4:07
5. Horn of Colima 3:57
6. The Psicopompos 4:17
7. Venus of Laussel 4:52
8. Hypnosis 5:36
Band members
Sense of Premonition – vocals, guitars
Sense of Clairvoyance – bass
Sense of Clairaudience – drums
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 