Rather than continue to tunnel inwards in pursuit of appropriately eldritch rhythmus Nagano, Japan-based death metal trio INVICTUS have instead chosen to expand outward, blooming their sharply cut and percussive form of classicist fare into a well-rounded sophomore full-length album experience. Though said experience is built from familiar parameters, throttled as often as it is weighted down by ten tons of groove, ‘Nocturnal Visions‘ yet appears as a product of holistic evolutionary sight beyond plainest self-revisionism, a feat which expands and blankets atop past development. The result is believably spawned from a passion for the peaking designs of death metal in the early-to-mid 90’s yet tempered for the last couple of decades of all-access tradition, a feat which holds one foot in better days and another in the grime-polished dead eyed stare of the present.

Invictus formed circa 2015 in service to the peak standards of 90’s death metal, naming west coast United States thrashing advent and high-rate European/Canadian conspirators as inspiration for their earliest works. Their first single, “Lord of the Pit“, would release that same year showcasing a sound not unlike earlier Kataklysm or ‘The Erosion of Sanity‘ where the brutality of the early 90’s found some technical, unhinged exaggeration. This approach would refine and evolve over the course of the next five or so years ’til their debut LP (‘The Catacombs of Fear‘, 2020) released to acclaim, presenting a high standard for modern ‘old school’ minded death metal in the vein of peak Sinister, Monstrosity and such while filling in the blanks with moshable grooves, ornate nigh neoclassic/melodic hits of lead guitar, and other finer details which’d only just approximated the breadth of circa ’93 craft. You could feel their fandom of death metal was well rounded on that LP, not exclusively classicist in some sense, but the whole of their presentation was yet smartly contained, ambitious without over-extending skill.

The main reason I’d been stoked to hear ‘Nocturnal Visions‘ upon announcement was just how riff-obsessed the trio’s work had been during their development from 2015 ’til 2020. In the interim I’d missed the set of demo tapes released in 2024 (‘Crematory Remains‘ b/w ‘Togakushi Ritual‘) where a potential direction for this new album was signaled via “Persecution Madness”, the only song they’ve directly retained from those demos. A couple of key traits’d arisen on those tapes that are reflected in this new album: First, the admirable clangor of the bass guitar tone, a prominent pulse which’d given each recording leaden reinforcement, and second a focus on a more seamless flow of riff ideas pushed along by the occasional crack of brutality; Rather than refine their collective decades worth of experience into a corner Invictus have crafted a sleekened, holistic version of themselves for this second album, a well-rounded experience which yet speaks to the explosive energy of classic death metal when commanded by the riff.

It isn’t all that often that I get to sit with a record that so feverishly pursues the riff without getting too zoned on one specific angle, finding room to breathe while avoiding binary-coded mosh metallic filler + other tropes, and in this sense guitarist/vocalist Takehito Seki is a commendable talent. You’ll get why I’d be so stoked over their work per opener “Abyssal Earth Eradicates” and the equally punishing “Altar of Devoted Slaughter” after it, these are crushers which to me recall a certain era of Dutch death metal or lesser known favorites like Resurgency (Greece) who’d brought condensed and wrathful movement like it was 1994 but I’d almost been more stoked on the points where Invictus showed what else they could do to bring their full range.

The peaking high of Side A comes via the unexpected “Lucid Dream Trauma”, a diabolus lurking up the basement steps as its mid-paced, slow grooving pulse and angrier distorted bassline acts as a deft left turn, a lurch of the guts as Invictus lean into a hard turn and show a different side of their sound, an alternative to the busied and brutal thresher which’d stunned upon entry. The aforementioned “Persecution Madness” actually suits as a follow-up, carrying some of the same hard-swung groove in hand. This mid-album break might be some of ‘Nocturnal Visions‘ most memorable riffcraft on a purely approachable scale and should stick in mind for most listeners outright. Otherwise I was most impressed by the band’s densely writ and thrashing side upon return (see: “Dragged Beneath the Grave” et al.) as this is where their knack is yet most evident.

Sticking to ~3-4 minute pure death metal songs and cranking them one after another without any interruption, interlude or fanfare helps Invictus not only stay on task but leads to an immersive yet succinct pummel through, squaring off at a solid ~35 minute run. The only point where ‘Nocturnal Visions‘ demands focus from the listener comes via its extended title track/closer, “Nocturnal Visions”, a slower burning piece which reprises some of the heavier groove felt on the mid-album lunge unto heaving almost ‘Diabolical Conquest‘-esque thrashed, doomed and back again temperament. Beyond the hammer of the opener and their slide into “Lucid Dream Trauma” the title track was probably my favorite/most anticipated song whenever returning to the album for repeated listens.

‘Nocturnal Visions‘ does everything a sophomore full-length album should as Invictus expands and perfects the vernacular of previous work unto brilliantly polished statement. The band’ve done a fine job of still resembling the spiritus of peaking ‘old school’ death metal in most every aspect while carrying over an experience which is ornate but not-so precious, a violently struck act which has the potential for depth despite its lyrical focus on fantastical mayhem and imagined scenes of dark carnage. They’ve largely escaped the pretense of progressivisms or metaphysical commentary at this point of evolution and this should appeal to a broader audience overall. This, paired with artwork courtesy of the brilliant Juanjo Castellano helps to complete an experience which is familiar and authentic to the senses but also clearly the product of a well-globalized death metal zeitgeist and primed sound design. Otherwise the right balance of riff-obsessed destruction and stage-readied grooves ensured this one was easy to pick up but not without some detail and depth. A high recommendation.

https://www.memento-mori.es/

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