Invictus

According to a press release from their record label, "Invictus" was inspired by the "hellish" turmoil Heergott experienced while recording and after the release of their second album. Cavernous depression, manic anxiety and suicidal madness was apparently the catalyst and inspiration for the album. A cathartic black metal trip through anxiety's hell. Epic, melodic, ferocious.

A quick bit of background. Magoth's debut album, "Anti Terrestrial Black Metal", put the German band on the map. Through social media and influential metal websites and mags the album was heralded and Magoth was viewed like a veritable "Rookie Of The Year" in black metal in some corners. They quickly released their follow-up, "Zeitgeist: Dystopia", but the band had begun to fall apart due to internal issues between vocalist Heergott and guitarist Shagnar so promotion of the album was almost non-existent, temporarily stalling their momentum but Heergott re-populated the band with superior musicians and went to task on making "Invictus".

After a brief intro ("The Reckoning") the stormy "Entering The Caverns Of Grief" hits the ground running with a massive wall of atmospheric guitar and rolling tumbling drums before settling into a rhythmic, galloping groove. The track builds seemingly exponentially with Heergott's shrieks and a massive explosion of chaos. This sets the stage for a journey through a broken psyche. "Possessed By Anxiety" continues thie descent into a miserable abyss. Chugging, melodic arpeggios, manic drumming and menacing synths. It's the sound of insanity but it's melodically pleasing. Up next is "Ikaros" and the intensity is cranked up to 11 (think 1349's "Hellfire"). It feels like the wall of sound collapsing over itself but in perfect timing so it lands on it's feet and keeps going. Walls of guitar sound. The hard-hitting paces continues track after track only letting up on the midtempo bridge track "Cain".

"Ascension" reminds me most of Craft's recent "The Cosmic Sphere Falls" with it's winding lead guitar lick that feels like it's burrowing toward a narrow opening. The lyric video depicts a tunnel. A soundtrack to a Near-Death Experience. The atmosphere creates drama. But too much atmosphere can becoming tedious so this band knows when to transition. What impressed me the most is the songwriting. Yes the lyrics speak of deep mental anguish and horror and a yearning to break free and escape this existence but it's the song structures that had me on the edge throughout. Never staying too long in one pattern (which reminded me of the classic Weakling album but less claustrophobic) but seeming to turn and twist at the right moment. This album had me gripped throughout. This isn't verse-verse-chorus-verse-verse but it's full of memorable vocal hooks and guitar flourishes. The album's closer is a monster. "Resurrection Of A Deceived God" combines all the album's strengths and brings the nightmare to a close...or does it?

This is their third album and they aren't chasing trends. This is classic, epic, second wave, melodic Black Metal with just enough personality to stand out. It's a treat to the ears- just great sounding metal. Well done. Hope this album slayed your personal demons, Heergott et al.

The story of Magoth is not without frictions, but mastermind Heergott has proven that the can take a lot of hits. The tough guy is the only survivor of the line-up of the last album and his personal situation has not always been easy as well. But here he reappears with a new team at his side and, even more interesting, a new album. Magoth’s debut marked an outstanding start and set the bar too high for its successor. So what about “Invictus”?

I admit that the material did not blow me away as soon as the first tones set in. But this was just a kind of delayed perception. (Probably I have already lost too many brain cells, thousands of them die every day…) Magoth have penned an album that grows on the listener. It is not free from minor flaws, for example the endings of “Entering the Cavern of Grief” and “Ikaros” want to add diversity, but their gentleness rather hurts the flow of the full-length. Generally speaking, “Invictus” is characterized by some morbid vibes, stormy outbursts and a proper portion of atmosphere that comes in full bloom during the comparatively dragging parts. In addition, a fine instinct for genre-compatible melodies shimmers through the violent and opaque outbursts from time to time. All these features result in an album which could originate from Sweden as well – but this is rather a compliment than an accusation. To be inspired by names (or just to sound) like Naglfar, Setherial or Thy Primordial is anything but a shame. These bands also have that certain quantum of melodicism that fits the aura of the genre. By the way, “Cain” is a brilliant example for the fact that Magoth master the art of creating melodic (and pretty melancholic) black metal. It feels definitive good to experience the marriage of the wistful guitar lines with the well-dosed drumming. And don’t worry, the band is not at risk to forget its fundamental mission to offer vehement music, already the next song (the thundering and strict “Ascension”) brings the album back on track in this regard.

The material is free from external influences. Magoth present pure black metal. This means they probably will never win an award for originality, but, much more important, they embody integrity and authenticity. Last but not least, they perform mostly very good music which is produced skilfully. “Invictus” sounds full, structured and complete. The guttural vocals fight with the instrumental wall of sound and both sides know to convince. Given this situation, it quickly becomes clear that the third album shows an upward trend, although their debut remains unrivalled so far. Especially almost hidden jewels like “The False King” on the seventh position of the track list leave no doubt that Magoth is (again) a force to be reckoned with. Black metal disciples who like their music neither too pompous nor ice-cold have a good chance to find satisfaction and more with “Invictus”. And let’s see what happens if the band can keep its new line-up stable. We don’t need further frictions, but we never get enough of great black metal.