ALBUM REVIEW: Unstoppable – Invictus
Some musicians just cannot stay idle. Maurizio Iacono, singer of cult death metal band KATAKLYSM and the Ancient Rome-inspired project EX-DEO appears to be one of them as he launches a solo venture in the name of INVICTUS and its debut full-length Unstoppable.
Album opener You Will Know Who I Am gives a strong flavour of what is to follow: groovy, muscular riffs in the style of NWOAHM bands like GOD FORBID and SHADOWS FALL, anthemic clean choruses of self-affirmation and melodic solos. Eagles brings more chuggy riffs in the vein of modern IN FLAMES, but with Iacono’s deeper growls lending the song extra heaviness as he barks “My resolve is absolute” into the microphone. Bleed Me Out sits halfway between EVERGREY and TRIVIUM, with prominent strings and synths taking over the guitars as the lead instrument.
Joining Iacono in this new chapter of his career are guitarist J-F Dagenais (KATAKLYSM, EX-DEO) and drummer Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC, EX-DEO). A key role is played by Chris Clancy (MUTINY WITHIN) who is the main songwriter and producer, as well as the clean vocalist who soars over most of the choruses on the record. Clancy has done an excellent job on the crisp sound design and composed some fantastic riffs, but the overall writing suffers a little from the formulaic ‘heavy verse – clean chorus’ trope that is often utilised.
Get Up breaks up the formula with a gigantic groove which in a parallel universe is the biggest anthem on the new SLIPKNOT album. The heaviness is further explored by Weaponized whose epic strings bring an association with the modern metal of BLEED FROM WITHIN, counterbalanced by a full-on death metal passage with a sick riff and blastbeat. Darkest Of Enemies truly lets the riffs rip, bouncing between the technicality of NEVERMORE and the groovy melodicism of MACHINE HEAD to conjure up one of the album’s best songs. On the whole, the second half of the record is more interesting, though with all songs clocking in around the same four-minute mark, their structures are confined to a fairly predictable model.
Lyrically, the album touches on the everyday trials and tribulations served by the modern world, which Iacono says “inspired this anger in me and a need to express the importance of standing for what we know is true in our hearts”. INVICTUS sees him get more personal than in his other projects, leaning into childhood experiences that forged his character, such as in the emotive melodeath of Ghost Of My Father where his narrative delivery is not a million miles away from BEHEMOTH’s Nergal. Despite his deep growl, Iacono’s words always come through clearly and pack a punch.
Unstoppable consists of 11 catchy hard-hitting songs with plenty to like about them, but ultimately nothing too groundbreaking to offer. Though unspectacular, it is a solid record and a fresh personal direction for a stalwart of death metal. Judging by Iacono’s productivity and appetite for reinvention, INVICTUS is unlikely to be a one-and-done project, and with that there is much more growth and exploration to come. Unstoppable is a good first step on this journey.
Rating: 6/10
Unstoppable is out now via MNRK Heavy.
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