In a recent interview on The Break Down with Nath & Johnny, InVisions recounted their desire to make an album detached from trends, with the aim of creating songs that could withstand the test of time. Not only have they achieved a timeless sound with Deadlock (Self-Released) they’ve just as easily created a new classic for hardcore music.
InVisions is composed of musicians who had been playing and writing long before the band’s formation in 2016, and that experience shows; this is the kind of record that could only be produced by years of experience. Thanks to the pandemic, they were also allotted a new writing environment that further evolved the album’s contents.
While venomous and biting tracks like ‘The 669’ and ‘Amour’ recall foundational metalcore, ‘D V P E’ and ‘D E A L E R’ manage to dive even deeper. In contrast to hellish heaviness, many songs are filled with great ardour and electricity; stories that epitomise the human experience, layered over ethereal chords that define Deadlock’s distinct personality.
From the slow beauty of ‘Inertia’ and the existentialism of ‘Half Life’, to the fusion found in ‘Fall With Me’, the flow of this record is superb. There’s no black sheep or filler tracks. Frontman Ben Ville is an absolute vocal chameleon, capable of jumping from guttural demon pits to picturesque, apertured clean vocals. The chorus to ‘Annihilist’ alone is so memorable, it’s honestly all you need to hear to be convinced this band is worth your time. A song like that is just begging to be screamed by a crowd of headbangers.
A personal favorite goes to ‘Hindsight’, however my individual reasons for loving this song reflects another mission InVisions had going into this record – to write relatable and personable songs, while still producing something genuine. There’s opportunity for so many different walks of life to all have completely unique experiences with this record. Let there be no doubt that InVisions accomplished everything they set out to do with Deadlock & created a record they should truly be proud of.
Buy the album here:
Vinyl/Merch: https://invisionsofficial.com/
9 / 10
LJ de WITT