Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Invocator - Excursion Demise (1991)
As the thrash metal scene was making its way into Denmark, Artillery was the band making the genre big over there. Whereas on the heavier end of the thrash spectrum, Invocator take on the technical thrash sound of Coroner, Dark Angel, and Sadus with speed and brutality. And you might know a couple of the band members from their later careers; Per M. Jensen as a former drummer of The Haunted and vocalist/bassist Jacob Hansen as one of the most prolific record producers in metal!
The heavy side of the band comes from the speed/death metal elements, and in their debut Excursion Demise, many tracks are a fast blizzard with some slight mid-tempo groove. With all that in mind, Invocator knew how to add variety to their speed so that their listeners can breathe.
The opening title track is the greatest place to start with fantastic riffing. The perfect beginning highlight! The eerie acoustic instrumental "To a Twisted Recess of Mind" follows with some nice bass, as a much needed break within the intensity. It makes way for the furious "Forsaken Ones". Then "The Persistence from Memorial Chasm" is another banger in which speed and heaviness continue to persist.
While maintaining some of their hyperspeed, the more complex "Absurd Temptation" starts off slow, again showing their diverse structure. I wouldn't consider "Schismatic Injective Therapy" a total failure, because of its brilliant heavy speedy sections here and there, yet it's a bit draggy and could've been trimmed down. I mean, I like long songs, but there should be more dynamics than just solo noodling. And I know how that kind of thing is done, just listen to DragonForce. The soloing should've been more melodic rather than just fiddling with the notes, and it should balance out with the riffing. Shining better is "Occurrence Concealed" with great audible bass by Hansen.
I love the speedy riffing in "Beyond Insufferable Dormancy" that makes this track another sweet highlight. "Inner Contrarieties" is shorter but adding more progressiveness to their rapid technical thrash, similar to Meshuggah's debut Contradictions Collapse from that year. The CD edition comes with a bonus track, "Alterations". It is perhaps one of the fastest tracks in technical thrash, pretty much catching up with the frenzy of early Atheist and Believer. I feel sorry for those who have the vinyl version without that track.
All in all, Excursion Demise is a solid debut by this Danish band for all thrash fans. It probably could've been perfect if the two long tracks in the middle could have some slight improvement. Still this is top-notch tech-thrash before its 90s near-extinction and something an extreme metal fan should never miss out on!
Favorites: "Excursion Demise", "The Persistence from Memorial Chasm", "Occurrence Concealed", "Beyond Insufferable Dormancy", "Alterations"