ALBUM REVIEW: Heavener – Invent Animate

An unfortunate certainty about this life is that it will one day come to an end. Death awaits us all, though the reaction to the passing of a loved one isn’t always immediate for those left behind. In the case of INVENT ANIMATE, that grief can come almost a decade after the fact. Processing the grief not only from death but from relationship breakdowns, the Texan brood presents Heavener. The band’s fourth album overall brings forth the second outing for vocalist Marcus Vik. Heavener’s 11 tracks may deal with the difficulties of the departed but the band also continue their quest for growth and self-acceptance. While Trey Celaya (drums) may no longer be a permanent fixture due to commitments with FIT FOR A KING, he returns on a session basis as the driving force for INVENT ANIMATE.

Greyview’s (2020) successor begins with Absence Persistent, a wonderfully ominous track backed with angular riffs from Keaton Goldwire. Speaking of “the silence we long for”, the clean vocals in the verses come as a surprise. Clearly wanting to buck the trend of traditional metalcore, INVENT ANIMATE turn the tables on the genre itself. Though this is not a song to take at face value as listening for Goldwire’s spiralling after the second verse is more than worth the repeat play, while a viscous instrumental drop perfectly demonstrates how it feels to “fall apart in disarray”. All in all Absence Persistent sets the bar high for Heavener, though single Immolation Of Night, which we’ll return to shortly, is an almost unattainable standard bearer.

Recent release Shade Astray wastes little time in getting down to business. Sharp riffs accompanied by a rampant bass section from Caleb Sherradan set the tone for what should be an exercise in brutality. Until it’s not. This is progressive metalcore after all and we’ve come to expect the unexpected. Vik’s screams fade into the background while wonderfully downtuned guitars add that slick edge to a chorus of utter despair. As though “living inside a lucid dream”, Shade Astray combines cloudy atmospherics with blasts of grinding guitars to illustrate how terrifying the phenomenon can actually be. Next, Labyrinthine follows suit in packing that initial punch. A beautiful chug lurks within the wall of noise for those willing to listen for it. It’s here we encounter the first pitfall. Vik’s lower, more rounded vocals in the chorus get drowned out by the guitars. Whether this was accidental or done on purpose to mirror the lyric “swallowed by the overgrowth” is always open to interpretation but the song suffers slightly as a result. Looking beyond that, the bass levels in this track give that wonderful buzz against the eardrum some of us only feel at times of utmost dismay.

This dismay drives Without A Whisper. Written by Goldwire about his first experience of death, this heavy slab softens for the verses. “Are you going to the place we used to dream of?” yanks at the heart strings as so many questions sit unanswered. A slight nitpick is the vocals here could have been a touch clearer. Again, that’s only a slight criticism. Though Without A Whisper explores the complex emotions that come with grief; the initial sadness of the verses transforming into anger and frustration within Vik’s heavier screams. This anger bleeds into False Meridian, possibly the heaviest track on the album. The ringing out of Goldwire’s guitars adds to the ominous tone of the mid-point track. Between Vik’s screams of “nothing is permanent” and a chaotic instrumental, this track is deliciously heavy and a contender for Heavener’s defining moment. We particularly enjoy the trickle of a solo lacing the weighty riff towards the second chorus, peppered with Vik’s gutturals. A powerful tandem.

What takes us by surprise is Reverie. Where False Meridian is a visceral display of power, Reverie is a slower, almost pop-inspired track. Minimal instrumentals draw the ear to the sentiment “never wanted to bathe myself in blue”. As synths bubble away, we’re taken on a journey through someone’s despair of having been left behind. For those who may not appreciate this track, we argue they may not be the intended audience. Grief is a club people don’t understand the inner workings of until they experience it for themselves. This understated track may seem like a jolt between two of the album’s heaviest tracks, but it’s an oasis of sadness within rage, which brings us to Immolation Of Night. By far Heavener’s heaviest number, this single sets the tone beautifully before falling into a fast groove of dark guitars. Black metal inspired screeches may not be for everyone but anything else in this track wouldn’t have done it justice. Talking about the “fragile soul overcoming death”, this is a taste of that personal growth INVENT ANIMATE have been looking for. We would say with Immolation Of Night, they’re certainly moving in the right direction. The act of immolation – sacrifice by burning – well under way, the pulsation of the closing instrumental places us on the outside of the ritual circle, wondering just where we’re going to be taken next.

“I know the prison of loss” proclaims Purity Weeps, a track full of guitar lilts and overwhelming synths. It can be said that anything coming after Immolation Of Night may suffer as a result and this does. The effect on the vocals doesn’t gel with the rest of the song. Vik’s vocals are drowned out once again and while purity may be weeping, we do as well. Leading into Void Surfacing, we can’t help but feel the band have lost their steam slightly. While much slower than its predecessor, there are still very angular riffs and rounded tones to the screams. Though on an album which is branded as progressive metalcore, it feels like a let down to have a somewhat traditional metalcore song lurking in the wings.

Entering the final pair of tracks, the feeling of momentum being lost continues. Emberglow’s density hides a nice melody for us to sink our teeth into. Another morose vocal track becomes lost in the undulating riffs. It’s a shame as the verses have a catchy cadence to them, batting themselves away from the riffs. Closer Elysium is an ode to Vik moving on from the death of his grandfather more than a decade after the event. Referencing the kingdom of heaven for Greek and Roman mythologies, the string-like synths are regal in nature. The majestic atmospherics then fall away in favour of a wall of sheer noise. It comes with a lovely density in the instrumental with the notion of “I still feel your ghost”. It’s impressive that INVENT ANIMATE manage to capture the parallel emotion of those entering the home for the blessed souls and those left behind in anguish within the same song. A powerful closer if ever there was one.

It would be cheap of us to compare this album to the notions of Heaven and Hell. Slightly sacrilegious also. What INVENT ANIMATE deliver is an in depth examination of two of the most complex life lessons humanity can accost; grief and self-acceptance. The idea that nothing is permanent and learning to embrace that is something very few bands execute well. Yes, there are some stumbling blocks within Heavener, but on the whole, this is an album we implore everyone to listen to at least once, if only to draw an individual interpretation of life’s experiences.

Rating: 8/10

Heavener is out now via UNFD.

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