A band like Invertia doesn’t come along every day. Very few bands today make music that is both challenging and challenging to the listener. Uncommon in style and mentality, the band is more like a force to be felt all over the senses, rather than just music to be heard. When we last heard from the band a year ago the creators of “Oppressive Industrial Black Metal” as they term themselves had just released their excellent debut. They have returned with their new album, Another Scheme For The Wicked (Ohm Resistance) with a leaner, meaner collection that shows the growth of this discordant, unhinged pair from New England.

Split between five originals and five remixes, Another Scheme for the Wicked has quality where it may lack a bit in quantity. The opening track ‘The Sidewinding’ is by far the best track in their existence; full of menacing riffs that would make Ihsahn blush, a phenomenal use of stop-start dynamics. There is also a great batch of samples in this track, and I won’t soon hear the line “Jesus is about to come…” the same way again. Second track “Cross Eyed Christ” blends machine gun beats with the best of avant-garde angular riffs. Dave Coppola has created some of the most inventive licks we have heard this year and his scowling maw unleashes some sick gutturals. Drummer Tim Winson keeps things uptempo for the most part and intense bringing in the electronics and beats. ‘Void of Community’ and ‘Hourglass Without Sand’ are a crazy amalgam of brutally and sublime writing. ‘They’re Everywhere’ sounds a lot more raw and lo-fi, like the work on their earlier efforts, despite the 300 bpm tempo and more howling vocals.

The real surprise comes with the remixes. The opening track is recast by none other than Justin K. Broadrick of Godflesh and Jesu. He is an inspired choice. The band clearly takes some of its cues from Broadrick and for his lot, he totally re-imagines the track into a new experience. Laconic and dreamy- it sounds like an out take from a David Lynch film, replete with slowed down to a crawl vocals. It also says a lot about this band that Broadrick would work with them, as he doesn’t give this treat ment to just anyone. Other re-mixers, big names from the Ohm Resistance label and the electronic underground such as End.user and R3TRD, have solid results too. Special note also goes to the post-apocalyptic sounds of Submerged’s remix of ‘Hourglass Without Sand’.

8.5

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KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES