Album Review: Invent, Animate – Stillworld

Piper M. July 7, 2016 220 Comments 342 views 0 likes

There comes a point where a genres of music become oversaturated. This typically comes from either a lack of variety, a desire to chase the current popular aspects of those genres or purely a lack of imagination on the artists who fall within those genres. Fans of those genres who desire something unique and different than look for newer, underappreciated artists that are bringing different sounds and ideas to the scene. After creating a large buzz in the online djent community, Texas natives Invent, Animate became one of those bands as they signed to Tragic Hero Records in 2014. The band went on to release their debut album later that year to much success and the anticipation only grew for their follow-up. Fast forward to the here and now with the bands sophomore album, Stillworld, set to release July 8th you’d be hardpressed to deny the incredible hype surrounding the record. So after nearly 2 years, does the band continue delivering on uniqueness or do they fall to the dreaded sophomore slump?

[tw-toggle title=”About Invent, Animate”]
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Release: July 8, 2016
Label: Tragic Hero Records
Purchase: iTunes | Google Play
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
[/tw-toggle]

It cannot be stated enough that Invent, Animate are a wildly talented group and should not be overlooked. This album showcases a lot of technical skill as it showcases deadly, tight chugs and growls over light, melodic, tapping riffs make for an interesting combo that is a theme throughout Stillworld. When clean vocals are present, they don’t feel forced or out of place and it’s a pleasant break from the impressive, ever present unclean vocals. Ambient sections showcase Invent’s dynamic range and ability to back off for a little bit. These are the most moving sections of the album, especially when they lead into epic, high instrumental moments like in “Solace”. The drummer, Trey Celaya, is more than competent and never overdoes it. From a musical standpoint, Stillworld is very solid and has more moments than not where technical prowess shines through.

INVENT, ANIMATE – Celestial Floods (Official Stream)

ORDER NOW: http://www.merchbucket.com/category/invent_animate.html iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/stillworld/id1110970296?ls=1&app=itunes MerchNow: http://tragicherorecords.merchnow.com/ Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Invent_Animate_Stillworld?id=Bokifjzpj7ynytwrimhq77qyovy Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stillworld-Animate-Invent/dp/B01G1QZSOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466780973&sr=8-1&keywords=invent+animate+stillworld Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/67jkNK6xuiYYWbR5ftbuBm Bandcamp: https://tragicherorecords.bandcamp.com/ LYRICS: Engraved in stone, we’ve been dethroned. No longer the kings and queens; we’ve become outgrown. As I roam through eternity I let go of control. Another day, another night, pass me by.

Looking at it from the perspective of a hardcore album taking listeners on an intense, emotional journey into the minds of it’s creators, Stillworld is exactly that. Invent, Animate has done a very good job orchestrating a powerful musical experience in each of it’s songs. The biggest issue with this record lies in it’s inability to keep that momentum going throughout the entire album. Each individual song has moments that stand out, but these songs don’t stand out much from each other. While it’s good to have a cohesive style, when writing an album it’s also important to remember to keep the audiences attention throughout the whole experience. Part of the monotony comes from this band being harder to distinguish sonically from other hardcore, djenty bands, no matter the level of talent they possess. This is not to say it won’t keep anyone’s attention through the whole album, but many of the songs felt extremely similar in pacing and energy. Additionally, it’s easy to tell that a lot of time and heart has been put into Stillworld, but it lacks the “it” factor that would keep a listener coming back to it over and over.

Stillworld is a great album that will no doubt leave you with several new favorite tracks, though it may be a bit tasking to listen to the whole way through. The good outweighs the bad here by far, and it’s well worth the purchase. It’s exciting to see where Invent, Animate will be in the future and how they can once again give fans a new listening experience to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack.