6th February 2022

Review: “Deadlock” by InVisions

Lets be honest, back in 2018 we had absolutely no idea who York’s InVisions were until we decided to check them out on the After Party stage at UK Tech-Fest and despite being late, they were on point, razor sharp and focused while a couple of dudes who had perhaps had one too many were spin kicking in the pit. It was one of those moments where a band you’ve never heard before hits you like deep impact and grabbing a signed copy of their debut album “Nothing Never” was an absolute must. Since then the band have gone from strength to strength with regular touring, a slot at Download Festival and 2019’s “Between You and Me” continuing to build on their foundations of gold and bones while enhancing their European fanbase. Now singer Ben Ville, guitarists Alex Scott and Lucas Gabb alongside drummer Josh Hardy return with their third album “Deadlock“, conceived and self-recorded by the band in lockdown and mixed once again by producer Joe Graves (Asking Alexandria, Deaf Havana, Glamour Of The Kill)…

…Originally considered a Deathcore outfit the band are ones who have transcended those genre somewhat without letting go of their roots as opening cut “The 669” demonstrates to perfection. Heavy guitars underpinned by dark programming, breakdown heavy with DJent note and Ville roaring through the lyrics like a man possessed until the ambient moment of cold bathroom floor clarity and in injection of dark melody. The decision to incorporate more of those kinds of melodic breaks is one that has been fully embraced with “Annihilist” having a clean chorus and programmed backing that gives flavours of the bands peers like Monuments and Architects while remaining steadfast in their heavier guitar approach, not sacrificing one for the other and together it works incredibly well giving this collection of songs a more rounded sound. Ville isn’t one to be underestimated vocally, with a huge range and when he drops the kind of rap screams that Attila frontman Chris Fronzak is famed for on “D V P E” before moving into some bowl clenching lows, tectonic plates are being moved. The huge slow breakdown section at the end is the kind of Chef’s kiss moment that is the metaphorical equivalent to throwing fuel on an already burning funeral pyre and standing back to watch as the flames lick the night sky.

During moments of the introspective album title track “Deadlock” Ville actually sounds like Architects vocalist Sam Carter to the point that if it wasn’t for the music video for the cut, you’d swear he was making a cameo. That’s a testament to how far out of his comfort zone Ville is prepared to push himself both in terms of writing lyrics as raw and gritty as these as well as vocally. There is is no doubt that the cleans have improved over time and that has helped make him a far more complete and rounded vocalist. For the band the key here is very much how they use them, the decision to go with a more sparing approach for the most part, a few lines here and a few there rather than a full song or full chorus fits their evolving sound like a glove at this point. The production is slick, Hardy’s kit work sounds like thunder throughout and the mixing job is absolutely perfect, each track sound has a solid density to it that is like a dark mirror reflecting the blood spitting vocals with “Amour” introducing some speech samples in the crush of the guitars that simply make you want to get into the pit and start pushing your friends. Conjoined twins “Inertia” and “Fall With Me” close the book on the album in style, the dark beauty of the introduction piece coupled perfectly with the violence and melancholy of the thunderous finale. Put simply, the stage is set for InVisions to conquer the World with “Deadlock“, they have the material to play bigger venues and continue their growth with any one of these cuts good enough to make a splash on the other side of the pond [8.5/10]

Track listing