Seattle death metal outfit Invocation Ritual look to the future on their debut record Altered Reality, and it’s not pretty. Mental illness, addiction, and international conflict all impact the self and lead to societal decay. These factors are multi-faceted and intersectional, their innards and waste products entwining with one another, and Invocation Ritual convey them with clarity. So, they write easy-to-parse death metal. Only the closer “Siren Planets” emotionally processes the record’s themes. But to get to it, you’ll have to make it through Altered Reality as a whole. Luckily, we’re premiering it today before it releases this Friday.
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Altered Reality’s messy subject matter contradicts the uncluttered songwriting, though that’s for the best as it doesn’t obscure how shitty a place the near future may be. Invocation Ritual capture the stress response to a crumbling society and do not intellectualize or empathize. That’s key. Everything is fucked up, and Invocation Ritual resist telling you that; instead, they bottle the tingling in the air before and during collapse.
In practice, Invocation Ritual play straightforward death metal, which shouldn’t be too surprising since they’re comprised of members and alumni from Oxygen Destroyer and Kontusion. Few aspects stand out because the group acts as a unit. Though there are layered harsh vocals on “Constant Misery,” most of Altered Reality plays as if Invocation Ritual are a single entity. They throw you into the shitstorm and allow you to pick out the pieces, operating like the comorbid factors that led to this failed future. As stated earlier, that sounds messy, but Invocation Ritual are deft enough to get their point across clearly.
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Altered Reality releases this Friday via Iron Fortress Records.
