Album Review: Bizarre - Invocation Codex
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I was looking forward to this for some time. I’m a sucker for anything death metal that bases itself around Lovecraftian aesthetic or subject matter, and Bizarre are one such band which we shall be diving into today. Formed in 2015 and originating out of Barcelona/Madrid of Spain, Bizarre are an extreme metal band who have been around a bit in the underground scene yet this is the first time they’ve been able to release an official full length record. The band released their first demo titled Moldy And Decomposed in 2015 before following it up in 2016 with their first EP: Inner Necropolis. A new single came about in 2017 then seemingly noting, the Bizarre camp went silent. That was until earlier this year where they announced the coming release of their debut studio record. So let’s see what Bizarre can bring to the table, especially amongst the annals of Spanish death metal.
There’s nothing quite like a short but sweet introductory track to kick things off. Now usually I don’t bother too greatly with paying attention to these short intro pieces however Bizarre do thankfully keep it pretty brief before getting down to the real nitty gritty of this record. Granted it doesn’t run for long but it does enough to prepare you atmospherically for what is to come next and judging by the track titles it’s some dark and truly eldritch material. What can be said right away is that Bizarre have a really good grasp on their production for this record, it’s a really competent but punching sound that doesn’t weigh down on you too much yet still retains enough power behind its sound to create this enticing and enveloping death metal soundscape you can’t help but fall further into. What’s better is that the band aren’t rushing here; the overall tempo the band play at is one that clearly plays at a quick pace which you’d be expecting however the band have enough restraint not to go full bore. As a result that elegantly wrapped production really aids the band in its steady pacing whereby the audience will be able to have a firm idea on where the band are going and what kind of sound they’re being given. Thankfully as well, the songwriting is fluid enough to not be labelled as predictive either. It’s an extremely satisfying yet nuanced album experience.
With tracks like The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Call Of The Great Old Ones and Ancient Forgotten Tsathoggua this record is a love letter to H.P. Lovecraft and all the odious and gibbous creations of his nefariously and infamously unbound mind. What makes this band’s sound work so well with Lovecraft’s lore and mythos is that the riff work and the general songwriting is not geared towards an overtly brutal or devastating death metal onslaught. The ruling strength this record exerts is the way it’s songwriting binds everything together into one seamless attack on your senses, without it being one of brutal slaughter. I was able to fully headbang away to this record and yet still feel a genuine sense of fun out of what I was able to feel. “Fun” from a death metal record is not what you would initially think you’d be experiencing and yet that is precisely what the riff work was able to evoke. Separating one element from the other within this record wasn’t easy, especially for writing up a review to it since the band’s performance feels so well disciplined and coordinated into creating this immersive yet addicting sound. The more you listen to this album, the more you want to consume it’s material. So the fact that Bizarre have an album peppered with Lovecraft lore coupled along with riffs and songwriting that not only atmospherically draws you in but also makes you feel at one with it through sporadic hints of melody, actually works in the band’s favour. Lovecraft’s own writing was never about hard hitting and in your face kind of horror; it was always about the unseen, the meticulous and the indescribable. So having guitar work and track progression that doesn’t get in your face directly actually suits the content Bizarre play death metal about. The best way I’d explain the guitar work here is: the band play around you. Not in front of you.
Vocally however this record was a surprise. The main delivery here is one of a fairly rudimentary low and growling performance but that’s just the tip of what audiences will receive. There are moments where the vocals are that traditional growling force but then they’ll undertake a deeper turn and not only will this be something you’ll notice, but it’ll be through sustained vocal notes. There are times where the vocals actually climb a little higher too, not into typically higher-pitched notes but as if breaking out into shrieks from some pained banshee; as if uttered from some hideous Great Old One itself. In a way the vocals are a sonic representation of what this album is all about whereby the vocal performance will be undertaking the usual and expected flair, however what you expect to hear from the vocals is far and away not the only vocal display the band have in store for you. There’s far more hiding beneath what you’ll immediately hear than meets the eye and I love that. It also aids the band atmospherically too as the audience won’t just be getting some monotonous, one-note form of vocal delivery; once they hear it altered the first time round they’ll be paying attention to hear it happen again and it does happen again. Repeatedly. The vocals are not just sitting on a chair in a recording studio; they can be crawling on the floor, rising high to the sky, creating the reverberations in soundwave. The vocals are just as vibrant here as any riff or track progression is able to pull off.
It’s worth noting that although this album comes short of 45 minutes, the band still made sure their debut record was nicely segmented to make sure the audience wouldn’t end up being pressed down by the continuous death metal assault. Bizarre’s intentions with this record may not be to establish the most punishing and sadistic death metal sound however it’s still good to note how they wanted audiences to feel fresh at all times throughout their record. An audience that starts to grow tired will start losing interest and then, attention. It’s also interesting how they position miniature tracks such as Anima, The Speeches Of The Damned and The Call Of The Great Old Ones at intervals following each three tracks. By this method the audience not only gets a breather at regular periods but it underlies a real structure to the band’s efforts and how they haven’t just compiled a list of some songs and thrown them at us. They’ve genuinely put thought into how we would experience this album, plus by the time that last breather track is done with you’ll still have that one final track to conclude the album with and you’ll be none the exhausted thanks to those breaks in the record’s structural pacing. You may not remember every single second of every track, but you’ll remember how the album made you feel.
Returning to how the band utilise tempo to their advantage, it’s worth mentioning that they don’t just play at some average, steady pace. The overall approach they take to extreme metal is one that is bristling with energy and power, worthy of any balls to the wall death metal act. However the band incorporate types of riffs and songwriting into their performance that allows them to move at a slower pace and yet still retain that truly crushing but disciplined take they have in their sound. On the whole this is a fast sounding album and with no surprise, considering the relentless pace and evil at which the band hurl their might at you; but the way their songwriting is handled it makes for a controlled and methodical listen. I’d argue the production plays a role too; since the mixing has created a record that doesn’t sound like it’s trying to be too big for itself and instead chooses to stay within its own space it doesn’t feel like it’s constantly trying to break free. Invocation Codex therefore is a record you could observe in a space of its own and it’s the kind that makes use of every single inch and corner that space will allow it to move within, from that perspective the production is rather compact but not completely so where it would, if anything, overly condense the comprehensive and easily cohesive riff presence.
In conclusion, this is one great album. I think the main thing that really got me with this record was how it doesn’t strive to be the fastest paced album released this year. Now for sure the band give you great heapings of speed and adrenaline to keep you pumped and ready for one bout of aggression after another however this album really made use of its time effectively. By breaking itself up structurally it doesn’t just alleviate the audience but it also slows down how the audience will in turn process this record’s duration. It may clock in at under 45 minutes but it really feels like it plays on for longer, usually this would be a disadvantage likely keeping prospective listeners away from unappealing records but in Bizzare’s case it works out super well for them. You don’t want this album to go by you so quickly, as each track takes you in and you become more accustomed to what to expect you’ll be savouring every minute this record has for you. If you’re like me you’ll be replaying various, specific tracks the moment they finish the first time round. Invocation Codex is an album I could immediately play from the start all over again and with no hesitation in my mind either. The pacing and guitar work and vocals and production all come together into a wondrous fusion that sees this Spanish take on death metal work out gloriously for them. It’s perhaps the first considerable Spanish death metal release I’ve heard since Unbounded Terror’s 2020 comeback album with Faith In Chaos. A roaring and malicious Lovecraftian delight that doesn’t shove the lore too far into your face for those more uninitiated yet still holding atmospherically and aesthetically true to his warped genius, Bizarre have a killer debut album on their hands here and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
