Swiss band INVOKER have been around the block a few times by now, closing in on a 7 year long history as an active band, and with one full album and a couple of EP’s to their name. “Cursed To Feel” is the most recent of the latter, ans was released in the fall season of 2018 through the label Grim Reality Records.
What we are served on this EP is music by a band that know their metal and their hardcore, and that also appear to be keen to expand the boundaries of the kind of music you can get when combining those genres.
That being said, the main hardcore element are the intense shouted lead vocals. Occasionally delivered with something of an extreme metal menace to them, but rather more often in a more emotional laden manner that makes it tempting to use the word emo. Other than that, we do have some occasional guitar and rhythm moments with a more primal feel to them that also hones in on hardcore as I remember it, but no more than that.
The music and the compositions themselves have a merry go round between various forms of metal, at least in my book. From slower paced, almost doom laden touches here and there to more intense escapades bordering extreme metal representing the outer borders. The canvas is then expanded by way of textured instrument details, sometimes with more of a post-metal feel to them, on other occasions with more of a post-rock orientation. The latter obviously more at play when the band kicks off a gentler prologue or interlude. The latter a repeated feature, with a sparse, calm and often elegant midsection dominated by delicate wandering guitars and also with room for a piano on occasion.
This is a band that are good at what they do, but for me personally the music on this EP didn’t make that much of an impact – their debut album was a more worthwhile experience for me personally. They describe their music as modern hardcore, and I’d wager a bet that most people that find music described in that manner to be of interest will appreciate what Invoker are doing on this EP.
My rating: 60/100
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/weareinvoker/
https://www.facebook.com/GrimRealityRecords/
