Review Summary: Japanese OSDM you shouldn't miss
When you discover so much new music, you rarely get surprised anymore. Especially when it's all more or less similar genre-wise. There's a lot of good stuff, excellent even, but it just doesn't always click. But sometimes you find something that just makes you think "hell yeah". I believe I found something like this in Nocturnal Visions by the Japanese band Invictus.
Yeah, guess you could characterize it as oldschool death metal. But there's a lot of oldschool death metal and even more people liking it, and it's getting more and more difficult to make something that'll stand out from among the crowd - especially since the crowd in question tends to hold itself to rather high standards. So what does "Nocturnal Visions" have that sets it apart from so many other death metal albums?
The answer is: tons of upbeat energy contrasting the usually lethargic and cloudy presentation of older death metal acts; unpredictability served in spades, keeping the listener on their toes all the way throughout; a sense of melody - almost but never quite bordering on melodic death metal, that brings both respite and payoff from the Slayer beat ridden onslaught; and lastly - compositional maturity and purpose that lets each song stand on its own.
From the perfectly built-up and introduced solo section of "Abyssal Earth Eradicates", through the midtempo chugging of "Altar of Devoted Slaughter", to the progressive payoff of the title track - the listener is constantly gratified with variety, energy and a bevy of headbang-worthy moments that bring to mind hardcore punk breakdowns or two-steps, without ever veering too far into that aesthetic. There seems to be a lot of thrash metal DNA in the band's sound too, with the riffing patterns and emphasis on energy appearing to borrow quite strongly from the likes of Testament or even Kreator - which in turn gives the band some similarities with other thrash-influenced acts such as Vader - though truth be told, "Nocturnal Visions" is way fresher than anything Vader have released in years.
I would happily recommend this to anyone who likes more classic forms of the genre, but is also open to being surprised. This 35-minute juggernaut stays fresh, involving and engaging all the way through and won't disappoint anyone in the mood of something that can be heavy, upbeat, midtempo, melodic - this album shifts shapes like a mirage, and all its facets feel authentic, convincing and ultra well-done.
