Hailing from the fertile lands of Valparaíso, Chile comes blackened death metal trio Invocation whom offered matured and deeply mesmeric rhythms from the first riff of their ‘Seance: Part I’ demo in 2016. Though their beginnings were informed mildly by the blackened thrash that their well-respected surroundings offer in droves, this first professional recording from Invocation, ‘The Mastery of the Unseen’ 7″ EP, finds a thick directional flow of suffocating flames in the form of exponentially hypnotic guitar work. Conjuring the rhythmic intensity and cavernous murk of bands like Wrathprayer and Vassafor the band operate with the directional clarity and focus of Grave Miasma in forming weighty ritualistic atmosphere without losing sight of the riff.

“Ouija (The Mystifying Miracle)” begins with an Incantation by-way-of Mortem (Peru) hammering and twists towards deeper blackness as thrashing blackened riffs introduce atmospheric death metal drumming. The chorus is a sort of exciting ‘Altars of Madness’-esque moment that has me hoping this band capitalizes on that sort of dynamic on future releases. “The Spirit Trumpet” oozes in the aftermath of Side A with guitar work that fully accomplishes the hypnosis purported by their earlier releases. The experience is transfixing and just otherworldly enough in its atmosphere to be worth repeating. At 11 minutes it is more a teaser of greatness than a satisfying seance in the shadows but, I can highly recommend this EP as a worthy introduction to Invocation.

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