Heavener

I love this thing. I mean immediately as their first single Shade Astray dropped, I knew this was going to be special because that is literally one of the best Metalcore songs I've ever heard and on par with Invent's Luna as their best song. And they just kept going and put out Without a Whisper which is one of the most beautiful and heavenly modern Metalcore songs I've ever heard, on ANOTHER level. So we already had 2 top 5 songs of the year (even though Shade Astray dropped last year), so the expectations were set high.

And it didn't disappoint in the slightest. I wouldn't say there is another song in the new tracklist that matches Shade Astray or Without a Whisper, but I wasn't expecting that, of course, they will release the masterpieces as singles. But the rest of the tracklist is still amazing.

First, let me say that I love this cover art. Covers are very important and this one really adds to the experience, I'd say it's my favorite album art of the year so far. I've given this album multiple listens, I didn't want to review it immediately in the morning, because I feel like some tracks here are definitely growers and not that accessible.

The production is fantastic here, the riffs are amazing, and the vocals are amazing. I don't even know what to add, I'm kind of speechless. It's not only by far their best album but also one of the best Metalcore albums in the past years, and the genre has been amazing these past couple of years so that says a lot. There is a lot of variety here, relaxing eargasmic sounds, and ambiance, yet djenty riffs and energy. A perfect mixture and it all sounds so mature, professional, and beautiful. It's the exact opposite of edgy, it sounds so self-realized and mature, I don't know how else to describe it. I absolutely love how they incorporate ambient and atmospheric elements into their music here, like it's the most vibey Metalcore ever, and if you know me, you know that I am ALL about the vibes and nothing else lol.

Wow, just wow. The sound quality and songwriting on this album are nothing short of phenomenal.

I was sure that Sleep Token's album will be Metal AOTY based on the singles, but now I'm not so sure anymore.

I love this thing so much, can't even put it into words, and it might even grow on me more. Wasn't expecting this from Invent despite them having Luna, which is one of my fav songs ever, but they generally weren't my favorite Metalcore band. Now I'm definitely going to re-listen to all of their old stuff.

Fantastic and the best album of 2023 so far.

FAV TRACKS: Shade Astray, Without a Whisper, Elysium, Immolation of Night, Purity Weeps, Reverie, Falso Meridian, Absence Persistent, Labyrinthine
LEAST FAV TRACKS: N/A