Invade

Invade (2006)

Brian Shultz

I'd be feeding you a disgusting, cesspool-sized amount of bullshit if I sat here and told you the style of hardcore Invade plays is right up my alley. Very rarely do I find any specks of metal even subtly sprinkled in and am rewarded by a wonderful melding of styles. But with that ever so slight metallic edge, Invade write a well-produced yet inherently pissed off brand of Subterfuge-influenced such (in the bellowing screaming vocals especially) and one I find reeking of great potential.

An aesthetically pleasing and metaphorically accurate layout for the band's demo may as well find the soldier wearing some crucifix of sorts -- for nearly the entire course of Invade, the band lashes out scathingly at a country caught in the stranglehold of Christianity. With song titles like "Christicillin," "Profit vs. Prophet" and "Pawn to Bishop, Then to King," these dudes are obviously not pulling any punches, and an absolutely relentless series of pounding, hard-hitting riffs convey that pretty well. Well-written mockings ("Decorate this cross, but desecrate the believer / … / To sterilize and burne clean -- into a pure white") and acute observations of modern practices ("Capitalism in the guise of white Protestantism") adorn the lyric sheet to further prove the band's points.

It's funny how reactionism is so often perceived as a bad thing, usually because its definition alludes it to (neo-)conservatism. Why does reacting to something have to be a bad thing? Or even necessarily a conservative thing? Idealistically, isn't punk rock one (at least, attempting to be) consistently relevant, prolonged reaction to society? While this rant is probably one better served for an entirely different forum or essay, or maybe even band, Invade is ultimately proving that reacting to modern societal changes can result in solid or better, inspirational pieces -- and as this demo is right out of the gates for them, it also proves it can affect entirely new groups speaking their minds about something.