Review by Felix on December 6, 2020.

The story of Magoth is not without frictions, but mastermind Heergott has proven that they can take a lot of hits. The tough guy is the only survivor of the line-up of the last album and his personal situation has not always been easy as well. But here he reappears with a new team at his side and, even more interesting, a new album. Magoth's debut marked an outstanding start and set the bar too high for its successor. So what about Invictus?

I admit that the material did not blow me away as soon as the first tones set in. But this was just a kind of delayed perception. (Probably I have already lost too many brain cells, thousands of them die every day…) Magoth has penned an album that grows on the listener. It is not free from minor flaws, for example the endings of 'Entering the Cavern of Grief' and 'Ikaros' want to add diversity, but their gentleness rather hurts the flow of the full-length. Generally speaking, Invictus is characterized by some morbid vibes, stormy outbursts and a proper portion of atmosphere that comes in full bloom during the comparatively dragging parts. In addition, a fine instinct for genre-compatible melodies shimmers through the violent and opaque outbursts from time to time. All these features result in an album which could originate from Sweden as well – but this is rather a compliment than an accusation. To be inspired by names (or just to sound) like Naglfar, Setherial or Thy Primordial is anything but a shame. These bands also have that certain quantum of melodicism that fits the aura of the genre. By the way, 'Cain' is a brilliant example of the fact that Magoth mastered the art of creating melodic (and pretty melancholic) black metal. It feels definitively good to experience the marriage of the wistful guitar lines with the well-dosed drumming. And don't worry, the band is not at risk to forget its fundamental mission to offer vehement music, already the next song (the thundering and strict 'Ascension') brings the album back on track in this regard.

The material is free from external influences. Magoth presents pure black metal. This means they probably will never win an award for originality, but, much more important, they embody integrity and authenticity. Last but not least, they perform mostly very good music which is produced skilfully. Invictus sounds full, structured and complete. The guttural vocals fight with the instrumental wall of sound and both sides know to convince. Given this situation, it quickly becomes clear that the third album shows an upward trend, although their debut remains unrivalled so far. Especially almost hidden jewels like 'The False King' on the seventh position of the track list leave no doubt that Magoth is (again) a force to be reckoned with. Black metal disciples who like their music neither too pompous nor ice-cold have a good chance to find satisfaction and more with Invictus. And let's see what happens if the band can keep its new line-up stable. We don't need further frictions, but we never get enough of great black metal.

Rating: 8 out of 10