Invocation - EP

Quality over quantity. That's what I find really appealing in EPs. At least in my experience it seems that they are a quintessence of the best tracks from the upcoming album, leaving no room for mediocre songs. This is exactly the case with the latest release of the lads from Milton Keynes, Invocation.

I've been following this band for a while. After listening to their instrumental demo tracks for the first time, I'd decided to keep a close eye on them, eagerly waiting for the debut EP to be released. The news that the EP wasn't going to be instrumental was quite disappointing at first, as I was pretty much sure that the tracks were cool as they were, and the vocals could ruin all that awesomeness. However, to my big surprise, the vocals fit to the music with astonishing naturalness and now after lots of spins I can't imagine the songs in their primordial instrumental form. This is a result of an awesome job of the band's vocalist, Matt Duffy, whom I commend on his exquisite performance. His vocal work adds bright emotionality and aggressiveness to the music.

The EP is comprised of four roughly equal tracks which flow perfectly into each other. Listening to it you don't even think about skipping any of them, not because there's not much to skip, with no padding on any of the tracks.

Nevertheless, the vocals are not the only strong side of the EP. I firmly believe that Invocation have managed in a masterly fashion to achieve an excellent combination of grooviness, aggression and melodiousness on the aforementioned release, which can easily put the listener into a euphoric state. I'd even go so far as to say that this EP has no apparent weaknesses (well, maybe they could have come up with a more original title, but that doesn't influence the music in any way). Each musical piece is in its place, splendidly integrated into the monolithic structure. Exceptionally executed ambient melodic riffs are the icing on the cake. Apparently they were influenced by the work of another British band, TesseracT, which by no means makes them less unique or stand alone. All these elements create an unbelievable atmosphere and make the songs stuck in your head for a while. Even after a long time of listening to the EP, at the end of the day you find yourself unconsciously banging your head to this music or admiring the beauty of the ambiances.

In conclusion I want to say that, in my opinion, it's easier to make a top-notch EP than a full-length release, where songs would be perfectly combined, equally good and leaving a positive impression. However I want to believe that Invocation will manage not to lose this nice flow of songs and create even catchier ones on their upcoming album.