Review by Felix on September 26, 2024.

Chaos Invocation have made a name for themselves, at the latest with Devil, Stone & Man. This album and its highlights ('As We Have Taken the Cross' and 'Triple Fire' from my point of view) have set the bar high, but surrender is not an option and so here it lies, a new full-length called Wherever We Roam… (associations with the black album of this widely unknown band named Metallica point into the wrong direction). To leave no doubt right from the beginning: the five-piece performs excellently again. Only minor details mar the big picture. I will come back to this later.

Good news first, Chaos Invocation have not modified their style. You can easily guess the reason for this continuity: their approach is already simply great. Sole composer and lead guitarist A. can rely on his fine instinct for combining melodic elements with vehement rhythms. There are some more controlled parts like in 'This World Wants Us Dead' (and vice versa, I hope), but the same track also holds a catchy and stormy chorus. And indeed, Chaos Invocation reach their best form whenever they rush with full force through more or less melodic sequences. Yet this is not to say that a song like 'Only In Darkness' does not convince as well, although it is nearly a kind of black metal ballad. This is the biggest (and only) experiment on Wherever We Roam… and it works with restrictions. Its eight minutes do not lack substance and in particular the ending shows the beastly side of the band due to some sharp and devastating riffs which bring the previous comparatively soft approach to its end. In my humble opinion, the song is not among the highlights of the full-length, but still a strong one.

This leads more or less logically to the question which songs are the most recommendable. Well, actually the opening title track should be a candidate, but somehow it remains relatively pale, not only because of its calm beginning. But it flows directly into 'Ideal Sodom'. Okay, contrary to my assumption, its lyrics do not deal with the best tracks of Tom Angelripper (“Agent Orange!”), but it marks a powerful, diabolic ride through the burning pits of Lucifer’s home, driven by fanatical guitar lines and the expressive, fearsome voice. 'Bridges Aflame' offers different strong facets. Its intensity as well as the right amount of more or less emotional harmonies form a great track. I also enjoy the merciless neckbreaker called 'No Throne Withstands', a hammering, straightforward monster that reminds us one more time that black metal is something that can make your day (or night) better in a matter of seconds. Finally, I have to mention the intriguing, surprisingly strong closer. 'Engravings Of The Quivering Pedestal' shines with almost surreal guitar tones and a high degree of dynamic right from the beginning. Once again, the lead vocals domesticate the acoustic hell around them – enjoy the commanding and imperious voice of M. as well as the break after three and a half minutes. It features a melancholic riff that adds another great aroma to the song which accelerates tempo soon again while melancholy and vehemence coalesce in an awesome manner.

The production is on a par with the very good one of Devil, Stone & Man and so there is just one question remaining. Which smaller details are less successful? Well, mastermind A. is a fantastic composer and surely a very competent guitarist. Even his lead vocals for 'Ideal Sodom' and 'Bridges Aflame' have charisma, although I think it was not necessary to turn M. into a part-time employee. But the clean vocals of A. fail to add value to the output. They seem like the idiot from Iced Earth storming the Capitol; useless, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Especially a clean vocals part in 'This World Wants Us Dead' does not enrich the song, quite the opposite… but okay, nobody is perfect. Given this situation, I can only say that every black metal fan is well advised to lend an ear to Wherever We Roam…, because its intelligently arranged songs definitely deserve to be heard.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10