ALBUM REVIEW: Interdimensional Invocations – Xoth

There are certain times when you will come across a band that are so good, with such impressive and well produced material that you’ll find yourself wondering why the band in question aren’t yet a world famous act. With the plethora of small independent labels, distros, and a well connected underground network that has the potential to bring new listeners to a band, it’s hard to understand how many excellent bands go overlooked. XOTH are one of those kinds of bands; their two full lengths and debut EP all showcase a band that are incredibly talented, with a memorable sound and catchy tunes, and yet the band are still releasing their records independently, and until now they haven’t made many waves outside of the Pacific North West, from where they hail. Their latest record, Interdimensional Invocations, is the apex of their recorded output to date, and will hopefully see them finally break out of the underground and establish themselves on the metal scene at large.

Casting the Sigil opens proceedings with what is, arguably, one of the strongest opening efforts you’re likely to hear on a death metal record this year. With plenty of nods musically to the likes of DEATH, with a great black metal undercurrent informing the frenzied and energetic music, it’s hard not to get immediately drawn in by this song. Jumping between soaring leads and chaotic fills with ease, the song proves to be as varied as it is brilliant. In little under five minutes, the band manage to inject more ideas into this one song than many bands would be able to work into half a dozen. It’s a stellar opening gambit that does a great job of setting the listener up for the rest of the record.

Mountain Machines is a short sharp shock of dizzying guitar work with a hard rock edge that really helps to bring the music to life. The lively music is counterpointed by some icy, shrieking vocals that add plenty of visceral rage into the mix. It’s an incredibly brief song that adds an element of frenzied melodic death metal to the album, something that manages to work incredibly well when coupled with the high level of musicianship on offer. Back to the Jungle starts out as a more mid-paced affair, with the drums quickly adding the momentum which carries the song forward, before launching headlong into a cacophonous and acerbic sounding slab of blackened death metal that proves to be a razor sharp, rhythmic assault, peppered with fantastic lead guitar flourishes and feral sounding vocals. It’s a rabid, tight and precise piece of music that is technical, but not in such a manner that it detracts from the music or feels completely unnecessary. It’s a masterclass on how to write excellent, technical music without sacrificing the quality of the music.

Unseen Abductor is another whirlwind of blistering, catchy guitar playing and tight, authoritative drumming, interspersed with some amazingly demented motifs and hellish, howled vocals that manages to be impressive in the level of skill that is on display, while once again not overdoing it or, for lack of a better term, showing off for no reason. This is a song that is driven by its lead guitars, at times bordering on the sort of progressive leanings that made the likes of VOIVOD a household name, without ever straying into the realms of parody of that band.

Haruspex makes great use of intricate guitar harmonies and varied vocals in order to make a song that is, in equal parts, maniacal and extremely focused. It’s another lead guitar driven piece of music, with some fast and fierce sounding rhythms backing up the leads incredibly well, making for a that sounds absolutely monstrous at points. It may be one of the albums shorter offerings, but it leaves its mark. Plague Revival 20XX is one of the first tracks that make full use of more prominent bass lines, something which works incredibly well when it does come into play, with its thick, bubbling quality contrasting with the, as usual, sharp and acerbic guitars and the acidic snarl of the vocals. This song has a far more groove-laden than many of the ones the preceded it, developing a heavier sound as it progresses, without losing any of its technical, unhinged charm.

The Ghost Hand of God is a stunningly ferocious and powerful blackened death metal track with some really robust drumming and guitar parts that are as aggressive as they are complex. The sound on this particular song is noticeably denser and more vicious in its approach than many of the other songs, due most to the more prominent rhythm section and the use of much harsher guttural at many points during the song. It’s a great track that sets the listener up for the eighth and final track, Melted Face of the Soul, incredibly well. This song has a really upbeat feel to it, which sets it apart from the rest of the album significantly. This isn’t to say that the music goes soft in any way; precise tremolos and grating vocals dominate the sound, and the punishing percussive blasts are still prominent on here, making for a huge sound that is punctuated by some fantastic melodies which once again make for a lively and energetic offering, bringing this album to close in just as impressive a manner as the way it opened.

This album is brilliant on so many different levels. Firstly, there’s the otherworldly musicianship that’s on offer that immediately jumps out and grabs you, diving between tight, rhythmic time changes and proggy, intricate guitar lines with ease, with not a single note feeling as though it’s unnecessary. There’s plenty of bands that throw technical and sophisticated musical flourishes into the mix in order to pad out a fairly bland song or show off their musical prowess, but here, all of the music that XOTH serves to make the music all the more impressive and memorable. But this is not just a record for fantastic, virtuosic instrumentation. All of the music is catchy, with each song being a stand out track in its own right, making for an album that is, when viewed as a cohesive whole, excellent from start to finish. With any luck, this album will give XOTH some well deserved attention, and take them to the forefront of the international underground.

Rating: 9/10

Interdimensional Invocations is out now via self-release.

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