Review by Felix on April 7, 2024.

An organ welcomes the listener. Its clerical sounds are the opening for an occult celebration that takes place in a dark church where Christianity has been banished a long time ago. The guys that brought another form of religiousness to this special place were called Mercyful Fate and their influence shimmers through every tone of "The Invocation". To avoid misunderstandings right from the beginning, I have no problem with this approach of the German newcomers. Firstly, everybody has the right to reveal his inspiration on his debut, secondly, the guys of Attic do not act like copycats that have nothing in mind but following the path of their idols in a slavish manner.

Okay, lead vocalist Meister Cagliostro (strange pseudonym) covers the complete spectrum of the King. Spoken parts, high-pitched lines, whispered words, shrill cries and so on, guess you know the repertoire of the Danish grandmaster of falsetto sounds. However, Attic's frontman uses his voice excellently. He does not appear as a clown who tries to deliver a performance which lies beyond his possibilities. Instead, this guy really is on a par with the King, both in terms of charisma and variability. This polarizing style of singing is always at risk to have a comical touch, but, as indicated before, Cagliostro does not lack of self-confidence and handles the situation skilfully. He provides, inter alia, an important element for the impact of the wistful "Edlyn". By the way, this track follows, thanks to a clever arrangement of the tunes, the stormy and powerful "Join the Coven" which is crowned by its irresistible chorus.

By contrast, the guitar sound is somewhat difficult. It does not sound bad, the entire album is based on a well defined, transparent sound. Yet the guitars deliver a small number of parts that do not have the appropriate degree of evilness and heaviness. The actually strong title track, for instance, suffers from a light and fragile guitar line. Michael Denner, Hank Sherman, please invite the guys at the six strings to Denmark and explain them how to create more sinister melodies. It should be no big deal, because these dudes have an enormous potential. There can be no doubt about it, because "The Invocation" holds several jewels. Let us have a closer look at two of many songs that should fascinate each and every member of any kind of unholy circle.

"Satan's Bride" (not "Satan's Fall") belongs to the most aggressive tunes of the album. Comparatively straight, the song emphasizes the (fairly) brutal side of the band. Without negating the inherently conspiratorial character of the output, it comes more directly to the point than the majority of the other tracks. "Ghost of the Orphanage" represents the more complex songs. It offers a lot of different parts, but it does not sound torn, because its smooth and catchy chorus holds everything together. Cagliostro delivers a great vocal line and makes the chorus to something special. These songs are really well done, but don't get me wrong: there are no downers on "The Invocation" and all regular tracks (the sixth song is also just an intro) are meticulously and coherently designed.

Lyric-wise, the formation would be well advised to emancipate itself from the wordings of the Danish legend. Of course, this kind of more or less mysterious music is inseparably linked with certain topics such as black magic, superstition or unholy scenarios, but a title like "The Headless Horsemen" seems to gallop "in the shadows" of the "Legend of the Headless Rider" and "Join the Coven" appears as Attic's translation of "Come to the Sabbath". Nevertheless, the musically competent debutants are doubtlessly an independent and promising band and I would draw its attention to the fact that a second album is overdue. I don't want to be forced to tell the King that his young spiritual brothers are lazy idlers.

Rating: 8 out of 10