UMUR "Weave the Apocalypse" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Invocator. The album was released through Black Mark Productions in 1993. Invocator were quite the prolific act on the Danish metal scene in the late 80s/early- to mid- 90s, and they had released a couple of well received demo tapes and their debut full-length studio album "Excursion Demise (1991)" before the release of "Weave the Apocalypse".

Compared to the furiously fast-paced and aggressive death/thrash played on "Excursion Demise (1991)", quite a few things have changed on "Weave the Apocalypse". While both albums can be labelled technical thrash metal, they sound very different and if you didn´t know it, it wouldn´t necessarily be obvious that it was the same band playing. There have been two lineup changes since the debut album as guitarist Jacob Schultz has been replaced by Perle Hansen and bassist Jesper M. Jensen has been replaced by Per Jakobsen. The two remaining members of the lineup from the debut are drummer Per M. Jensen (later of The Haunted), and guitarist/lead vocalist Jacob Hansen (who would later become quite a prolific producer).

While the two new guys bring much to the music (both get to shine several times during the album´s playing time), it´s in the basic songwriting department that the major changes have taken place. Instead of the fast-paced aggressive death/thrash of the debut the listener is treated to a predominantly mid-paced, heavy, rather sophisticated, and technical type of thrash metal. It´s quite original sounding and the obvious Dark Angel worship of the debut is now completely gone. The vocals by Jacob Hansen are still relatively raw although they are far removed from the caustic snarling vocals of the debut.

Another thing that seperates "Weave the Apocalypse" from "Excursion Demise (1991)" is the much shorter song lengths. While the tracks are generally pretty sophisticated and on occasion relatively technical/progressive, they are more conscise and don´t wander off into long blistering solos or adventurous structures like the case often was on the debut. The 10 track album is with it´s 34:25 minutes long playing time relatively short, but that format works well here.

The album features a powerful, clear, and well sounding production, so upon conclusion "Weave the Apocalypse" is a high quality sophomore album by Invocator. It´s up for discussion if it´s a better release than "Excursion Demise (1991)", but there´s no arguing that Invocator have developed their style greatly since the debut and that always takes great courage and an adventurous attitude (especially this early on in a career), which are both positive characteristics in my book. If I have to mention something that might be an issue to some, it would be the semi-raw vocal delivery by Jacob Hansen which I suspect won´t appeal to all listeners. The instrumental part of the music is quite brilliant though. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Excursion Demise" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Invocator. The album was released in June 1991 by Black Mark Productions. Invocator had been around since 1986, releasing a couple of demos ( among them the "Alterations (1989)" demo, which sold nearly 2000 copies) before entering the Montezuma Studios in Stockholm, Sweden in early 1991 to record "Excursion Demise". The album was generally well received and Invocator toured quite a lot in support of the album. Most notably they secured the job as opening act for Dark Angel on the latter act´s 1992 European tour.

The music style on "Excursion Demise" is extremely aggressive and very, VERY fast-paced/ played thrash metal. The musicians are very skilled and pull off breakneck speed riffing, screaming Slayer style soloing, technical drumming ( just try and count the number of times drummer Per Jensen hits the snare drum on an off beat count during almost any of the ferociously fast played sections on the album) and some caustic rabid dog high pitched snarling to perfection. Invocator are often labelled a death/ thrash act because of the style they play on "Excursion Demise" ( as opposed to the more technical and mid-paced thrash metal variation they would play on the next couple of albums), but while there are a few excursions into death metal territory, they are very few and "Excursion Demise" is generally just a fiercely aggressive thrash metal album. The high end production ( the bass isn´t very audible) provides a caustic edge to the tracks that´s greatly enjoyable. I could mention any track from this album and it would be a highlight, but if I have to chose a few that are slightly more memorable than the rest it would probably be the title track, "Forsaken Ones" and "The Persistence From Memorial Chasm".

"Excursion Demise" is one of the most furiously fast-paced and fiercely aggressive thrash metal album out there. Throughout the 44:28 minutes long playing time Invocator rarely lifts the foot from the pedal. Invocator are relentlessly energetic in their delivery and you´ll have to look long for a breather on "Excursion Demise". Oh well the short acoustic "(...To A Twisted Recess Of Mind)" probably counts as a breather, but other than that, this is quite an exhausting album. That´s meant in a very positive way though. There are references to other brutal/ technical thrash metal acts like Dark Angel, Gammacide, Demolition Hammer, Devastation and Sindrome on the album, but Invocator have a unique style and they don´t really sound like anyone but themselves. With just a little bit more variation "Excursion Demise" could have been what I would have called a masterpiece thrash metal album, but even with some minor flaws this is still a killer album that deserves as much attention as possible from fans of the more aggressive fast-paced part of the thrash metal genre. A 4 - 4.5 star rating is deserved.

UMUR Dying to Live is the 3rd full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Invocator. The album was released in 1995 by Progress Records. The lineup that recorded Weave the Apocalypse (1993) is nearly intact. Bassist Per Jakobsen has been replaced by Carsten Mikkelsen though. So once again we´re treated to the technical and adventurous drumming by Per M. Jensen ( The Haunted), the intricate bass playing by Carsten Mikkelsen ( who enters the lineup with style) and the impressive technical guitar riffing by Jacob Hansen and Perle Hansen. The latter plays some excellent solos on this album. Shredding at times yet melodic and memorable. Just the way I like it.

The music on the album is technical thrash metal. Since Weave the Apocalypse the band have incorporated a lot more groove into their sound but the music is still unmistakably the sound of Invocator. Jacob Hansen´s "love him or hate him" vocals are still an aquired taste and if I have to point out a minor weakness on the album I would mention the vocals. When they are best I think they work really well, but at times they are a bit monotone IMO and lack a bit of power. As mentioned that´s a minor flaw though and other than that Dying to Live is a nearly perfect technical thrash metal album. The above mentioned excellent musicianship is a great asset, but the songwriting is also on a high level. The songs are mostly mid-paced and the incorporated groove means that most songs are more accessible than most of the band´s earlier material. Dying to Live very much feels like the natural successor to Weave the Apocalypse.

The production is sharp and powerful. It´s the kind of sound that brings out the best in the music.

Dying to Live is a great technical thrash metal album by Invocator and definitely one of the best thrash metal releases to come out of Denmark in the nineties. Invocator never really got the attention they deserved IMO and sadly this incarnation of the band split-up in the years after the release of Dying to Live. A 4 star rating is fully deserved.

UMUR Alterations is the 2nd studio demo tape by Danish thrash metal act Invocator. The demo was released in 1989 and is a self-released affair. While the original tape version of the demo is probably very hard to track down, Alterations was made available on the Early Years (1994) compilation where the band´s first demo tape Genetic Confusion (1988) was also featured.

The 4 tracks on Alterations are technically challenging death/ thrash. We´re talking high quality and fiercely aggressive thrash metal here. Tempo changes, breaks, breakneck speed soloing and a caustic vocal delivery. Both Occurrence Concealed and The Persistence From Memorial Chasm appear in re-recorded versions on the debut album Excursion Demise (1991) and the Alterations track appear in a re-recorded version as a bonus track. The only track from Alterations that doesn´t appear on Excursion Demise is Pursuit Of A Rising Necessity.

The sound quality is excellent considereing that this is a demo tape from 1989. Very impressive.

Alterations is a step up for the band and an obvious positive development of the band´s sound since the Genetic Confusion demo. A 3.5 ( almost a 4 star) rating is warranted.

UMUR Genetic Confusion is the first studio demo tape by Danish thrash metal act Invocator. The demo was released in 1988 and is a self-released affair. While the original tape version of the demo is probably very hard to track down, Genetic Confusion was made available on the Early Years (1994) compilation where the band´s 2nd demo tape Alterations (1989) was also featured.

The 4 tracks on Genetic Confusion is fast-paced thrash metal in the vein of 1986 - 1989 era Kreator albeit more technically challenging. Lead vocalist/ guitarist Jacob Hansen has a voice that´s somewhat similar to Miland "Mille" Petrozza from Kreator, which of course doesn´t make the comparison less obvious. The tracks are generally fast-paced and fiercely aggressive.

The production is very good for a demo release from 1988. Raw and intense but all details are audible.

Genetic Confusion is a very impressive demo release by Invocator and while the band would develop their style further on subsequent releases Genetic Confusion is definitely worth a listen. A 3 star rating is warranted.