Chaos Invocation answers the call.
Two years after their last blasphemy, M. (vocals, ex-Bethlehem), A. (guitar, Porta Nigra, ex-Crescent), Omega (drums, Darvaza, Frostmoon Eclipse, Moloch, Nubivagant, ex-Blut aus Nord…) and L. (guitar, Ahnenkult, Narvik, Werwolf) recruit R.K. (bass, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Purgatory) and sign to AOP Records to give life to Wherever We Roam… , their fifth album.
The album opens with the sombre but soothing introduction to Wherever We Roam, the eponymous track, but saturation eventually haunts the gentle melody and transforms it into a wave of scathing violence. There’s still a certain harmony to the band’s dark rage, but the growls lead us to Ideal Sodom, where we find those more ominous touches due first to the tritone leads and then to the tortured guitar that responds to the vocalist’s vociferations. Golden Gates And Terrene Light initially takes a slower approach, acting as a march guided by the drummer’s strikes, but the atmosphere remains heady, thanks in part to the misty harmonics that lead to these furious, perfectly-timed accelerations. The finale allows us to breathe for a moment, before Bridges Aflame takes us away into a sea of dissonant darkness, where we discover a tempo that is at times overdriven, but also more haunting passages, before the two elements merge to create a final, intense explosion. No Throne Withstands quickly returns to ferocity with a devastating blast and riffs that follow the rhythm perfectly, pouring out their unholy power, before This World Wants Us Dead imposes itself with a touch of melancholy, bewitching us. But the quietude can’t last forever, and it’s joined by rawer, more aggressive elements, giving it unusual hues like the clear vocal passage that leads us to the majestic Only In Darkness, which features keyboards to complement the imposing rhythm section. The latter is brought to a breaking point, temporizing the long composition which also allows itself hypnotic moments, giving a new chance to the clear vocals and aerial harmonics, but also to a very aggressive approach in its final moments, before letting Engravings Of The Quivering Pedestal return in heady tones, making their surge an exciting moment to close this album.
Although deeply rooted in violence, Chaos Invocation also knows how to weave more haunting, intense passages thanks to soaring harmonics and a few hypnotic clear vocal parts. Wherever We Roam… is savored more intensely with each listen.
90/100