Invent Animate – Heavener
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Label: UNFD
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
FFO: Oceans Ate Alaska, Polaris, Glass Cloud.
Review By: Ryan Payne
Progressive metalcore quartet Invent Animate are back with their 4th album “Heavener”, combining crushing tech infused riffs with huge melodic choruses. The album acts as a follow-up from the 2020 release “Greyview” and is the first album to be released under their current label UNFD.
The musicianship on this album is incredible. “Heavener” is filled to the brim with some of the grooviest riffs you’ll hear, while also blending in some very melodic elements, making this the perfect blend between chaos and serenity. Added on top of this, the versatile vocalist brings all aspects of his range to really bring out the best in every track. The choruses can make the listener feel like they’re floating before coming back into a heavy verse that slams you back down to earth. The composition on “Heavener” is simply beautiful and the mix/mastering work from Daniel Braunstein (Spiritbox, Silent Planet, Dayseeker) has really made this album shine.
During the writing process on this album, the band decided to change things up a bit and, in turn, have claimed that “Heavener” is the most genuine record they have ever created. Drummer Trey Celaya elaborated further:
“A lot of our previous material is really grief-stricken, and I think now there’s been a subtle shift [in Heavener] where we’re truly getting that off our chest but in a more constructive and empowering way, I personally felt like I’d run into a bit of a wall just writing about the most dramatic or sad experiences I’d ever had, I wanted to move on. We’ve had fans respond saying that a song really connected with them and I think that reminded us that we are being heard…so now we’re not so much writing from a place of just purging what’s bottled up, but wanting to demonstrate that you can work through it and move to the next level.”
Invent Animate have come into this year with “Heavener” being a heavy contender for everyone’s new favourite album of the year. All aspects of this album tick all the boxes, from the heavier tracks like “Immolation of Night” to the more atmospheric, melodic tracks like “Reverie”. There is something for everyone and this album could put the band onto the next level. 
(5 / 5)
