Death metal’s resurgence the past decade has given us a lot of different perspectives and hopefully helped broaden some minds. I know there still remains that caveman mentality in some parts. You’ll have that. Imagine only liking one type of something. It is what it is, though, and I guess there’s no bad way to get crushed.
Japanese death crew Invictus is one that could bridge some gaps among audiences for the foulest form of metal. Their second record “Nocturnal Visions” is one that should satisfy the old heads easily, but it also isn’t knuckle-dragging content by any means. The band—guitarist/vocalist Takehitopsy Seki, bassist/guitarist Toshihiro Seki, drummer Haruki Tokutake—take what they started on 2020’s “The Catacombs of Fear” and broaden their artillery while remaining true to the ugly, menacing roots. There’s something about this that just hammers the right spot between morbidity and creativity, locking you in easily as the power overtakes you.
“Intro” is, you guessed it, an introductory piece with guitars stoking fires and keys dripping, spilling into “Abyssal Earth Eradicates” that opens with clobbering bass and meaty riffs. The growls mar, feeling throat destroying, as guitars jar and add to the savagery. Leads set the scene ablaze as the band drills even harder, fading into darkness. “Altar of Devoted Slaughter” is an onslaught, crushing wills, the growls smearing over sinewy power, the chorus digging into your guts. The playing turns thrashy as fuck, the sludge elements increasing, blasting out of a hellish furnace and into your face. “Lucid Dream Trauma” might sound a little gentler from its title. It’s not. Riffs cut as the drums pace, the growls welling and scraping, chewy guitars further darkening the surroundings. The drums dust up as the riffs accumulate speed, the final moments of punishment slashing sanity. “Persecution Madness” opens with stellar riffs and a tempo that defaces, the crunch working to devastate rib cages. The band charges anew, absolutely demolishing everything in front of them, leaving nothing but charred remains behind.
“Dragged Beneath the Grave” blisters, guitars racing hard, the growls spat as if the words tasted poisonous in the mouth. Guitars bubble and lash, everything coming gloriously unglued, the rampage leading to a skull-dragging finish. “Wandering Ashdream” has riffs firing and a mucky bottom end holding you to the ground, growls retching as the leads roll violently. The vocals bleed deeper and nastier as the pace sickens, jerky, thrashy hell allowed to run amok as the earth is smothered whole. “Frozen Tomb” starts with a gust, blasting guts as death menaces, sooty growls exuding blackness. Guitars spiral and then drive in the knife, melodic soloing aims to ice wounds, and the final moments scatter broken teeth. Closer “Nocturnal Visions” is the longest cut, running 8:01 and exploding with swaggering riffs, chugging force, and a bruising path that leads to misery. The playing turns delirious, leaning into scorching temperatures and then slow-driving muck designed to make the body shots sink in fully. The pace quickens as the violence ramps up yet again, the lead exploding and bringing the ritual to a smashing end.
“Nocturnal Visions” is the first monumental death metal album of 2026, one that is heavier than you can handle and a bulldozer through sanity and safety. Invictus pull no punches at all and delve right into a more devious dimension of their sound than we’ve heard before. This is a motherfucker of a record that should find favor with death metal audiences that prefer raw, sonically violent, and surgically maniacal sounds. Get on this one now.
For more on the band, go here: https://invictus3.bandcamp.com/music
To buy the album, go here: https://www.memento-mori.es/label/memento-mori/
Or here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/shop/invictus-nocturnal-visions-lp/
For more on the label go here: https://www.memento-mori.es/
And here: https://www.mesacounojo.com/
Meat Mead Metal 