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It was with great relish I inserted the new release from
Invisigoth entitled Narcotica into the CD player. From the
opening notes I could tell it was not going to be a disappointing
listen. The duo known as Invisigoth came together in 2006
consisting of Cage who deals with all the instrumentation
and Viggo Domino who handles the vocals. But the sound here
is a long ways from any kind of one-man-band.***
The CD Narcotica, their second release consists of 9-tracks
with the focus being the four part epicDark Highway. The music
created by Cage is extremely varied, incorporating everything
from prog-metal riffs, mainstream rock, symphonic prog, and
even some dance-oriented moments. The arrangements of the
compositions allows for some rather interesting musical change-ups
where the compositions go from one extreme to another and
yet hang together amazingly well. Narcotica starts off with
the first two-parts of Dark Highway, “Transmission” (9:35)
and “Before First Light” (11:59) and here the music is at
its most exotic, mixing middle-eastern influenced rock with
huge symphonic arrangements. Not lost in all of this is a
certain aggressive touch, but it comes off less as prog-metal
and more as a heavy prog like older Gerard. For me one of
the neat things about the way Invisigoth write is their penchant
for going from fast to slow, loud and soft, complex to simple
with their arrangements. This is a technique they use to great
effect in songs like “Scars and Dust” (5:25) but it really
is heard throughout the disc. For the most part Narcotica
is a CD built on a myriad of well crafted hooks and riffs
deftly joined together to make a very satisfying whole. There
is something hooky coming around each corner, every few minutes
the composition morphs into another clever segment. The disc
ends with the last two parts of Dark Highway; “New Rome” (11:03)
and “Take the Blood” (10:09). What I said about their first
release applies here in spades; these are compositions of
great contrast, incorporating more aggressive moments along
side elements of majesty, drama and moody atmosphere. In many
waysNarcotica is even grander than their first.***
This CD has a lot of staying power. Because of the complex
arrangements it transcends becoming boring after repeated
listens. My guess is this will appeal to fans of bands such
as Carptree and the softer side of Therion but by and large
if you’re into heavy symphonic prog Narcotica is a disc you’ll
love. Invisigoth have taken their game to the next level.
I have no hesitation recommending this disc to a wide range
of music fans.
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