Many bands can write hit songs.  Many musicians can be of elite status in terms of technical proficiency.  What is true, however, is being able to successfully write and record music that reflects one's larger ethos, a reflection of one's worldview.  INVOCATION SPELLS have released "Spread Cruelty Through the Abyss," their fourth full-length.  Hailing from Chile, the band have managed to combine their collective talents and deliver a sound that is indicative of their current beliefs and shared influences.  Strap in, though, because it can be a big of a rough, bumpy road.

The first track, "Ruins of Cemetary," begins with a syncopated riff that before long erupts into a true blasting affair.  The band reminds the listener in the middle that Thrash's roots lie in Metal and Punk as they launch into a driving, dirty, old school-fueled part owing more to the latter.  "Victims of Doom," the third track, has its own erratic primal fury.  This is the answer to the question of what would a barbarian do with a guitar.  Perhaps that is just part of the band's modus operandi, but it's hard to see how Metal fans will react to this exercise in creative discovery.

When listening to the fourth track, "Torment of Obssessor," it is amazing to think how the drums amazingly stand on their own after the intense blasting of this tune, a true feat.  While the band blasts away, one gets the feeling that the earth is literally being torn open.  The final track, "From the Graves," shows how the band saved all of the collective most evil parts for last.  Deciding to go out strong, the band manages to conjure the fury of hell.

This is scene worship at the highest level, and it is hard to imagine a scene to better be situated in than the convergence of Black and Thrash Metal.  The band owes a large debt to VENOM, POSSESSED, SODOM, and, at times, VOIVOD.  There is just enough experimentation to include VOIVOD in the list, and it must be noted that the band have synthesized their influences to form their own identity.  Whether the common Metal fan will enjoy this output is not clearly discernible, but it's easy to see the band won't be swayed by anyone's opinions.  If you don't like it, you weren't invited anyway so get lost.