Kurt: We all grew up loving underground music in general. All of us were stretched between different scenes and genres. We loved punk, hardcore, grind, death, black… And I think we incorporate a little of that in our music. In my head we are a melodic blackened death band. But you can hear quite some crossover in our music if you listen closely. I see the music as an ode to all the records that shaped us growing up. When people hear the record they mostly refer to bands like Dissection, Death, Unleashed, At The Gates, The Haunted, Bolt Thrower, old Amon Amarth… I feel like that is a good reference for what we are doing.
2.Recently you have released your first full length, musically how does it differ from your previous ep and split?
Kurt: I think we’ve grown a lot more as a band. The songs are much more mature. We put a lot more influences in it and went deeper. I feel we left behind our hardcore roots on this record and evolved to being a “real” metal band, whatever that may mean. There is much more black metal in it, being heavily inspired by bands such as Dissection, but also a lot of death metal.
3.You refer to your music as being 'edgmetal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?
Kurt: “edgemetal” was a term donned by Congress in the early 90’s. In the H8000 scene a lot of bands emerged that were on the border between death, thrash, black, hardcore, … Those bands (Liar, Congress, Deformity, …) had a huge impact on us growing up. They called themselves edge metal over the term metalcore. Back then everybody was straight edge in that scene, hence the word “edge” and they thought of their music more as metal, as opposed to hardcore (like youth of today)... There is a lot of similarity between those bands and Invictus, so we felt like the term fit us very well. It’s also a lot shorter to write as “melodic blackened death metal”.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Jo: This world is very rotten and often I hope we humans just stop existing. Cause we really don’t earn this. Next to this I also want a society that treats each other better. For every horrible act someone creates, there are a lot of humans who do their utter best to make it a better world. So although most of my lyrics are cynical, dark and straight on misanthropic, some of them end towards a positive way (with a little reading between the lines). They explore the topics of despair, unnecessary hatred, inhumanity, abuse, suicides, conspiracies, the rise of hategroups and social media’s (un)“reality”.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Invictus'?
Kurt: The inspiration is a bit double. Firstly it came from one of my favorite records growing up by a local band called Liar. Secondly it’s a from a poem written by William Ernest Henley: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. The poem revolves around resilience, inner strength and overcoming adversity. Something that we all have to deal with in life.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Kurt: We believe that humanity is ruining our planet and killing itself. The artwork is meant to represent that: A desolate toxic mountain with no life on it. It’s also a bit of an ode to the artwork of “The Sound Of Perseverance” by “Death”, one of the bands that shaped us when we were young.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Kurt: I would describe our shows as very pure and real. We are not playing dress up or playing theater. Nothing against bands who do… I feel it’s just not something that would fit us. We’re all a bit punk, so we believe in “what you see is what you get”.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Kurt: We are lucky to get quite some shows on a lot of varied bills. So this year is starting to fill up nicely. A personal ambition is to do some weekend tours in Germany and Eastern Europe. I’m hoping we can play some fests next summer, especially Ieperfest would be great as I’ve been going there for 24 years. Rockstad in Romania is also a dream I’d really like to achieve.
9.The physical version of the album is going to be released through many labels, can you tell us a little bit more about the labels you are working with on the new release?
Kurt: Working with so many labels helps us get some more coverage and distribution. We chose Genet Records because it’s a legendary name from the 90’s, and in Belgium they provide a home base for bands that are crossing over and merging multiple genres. Bands like Last, Förbittring, Work of The Flesh, Verslinder, Dudsekop all share a similar background and vision as we do in a way. Tim from Bound By Modern Age actually contacted us after the split we did with Risale. He liked the songs and wanted to work with us. We talked to him and we shared very similar opinions and world views, so it was a no brainer to get him on board. He’s an all around great guy and him being situated in Germany is a great advantage for us as a band. 24 edge wear is a new clothing brand/label that was started by our good friend Nico. We will be the first release for him. I really wanted to get him aboard as I consider him a good friend. In My Heart Empire was recommended by us through our old label (Ugly and Proud Records). He has an amazing distro filled with punk,crust, grind, hardcore, death, thrash, back….
10.In 2023 you were a part of a split with 'Risale', what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
Kurt: I really liked them. They incorporate that 90’s hardcore sound but put it in a modern package. Ozan was great to work with. Even though they were musically different from us, and they were way younger, we got along really well. It’s too bad they stopped right after the release of the split. So they couldn’t really promote it that well. I think they would’ve had a great future as a band.
11.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic black and death metal?
Kurt: The record will be officially released on october 4th, so you’re one of the first who heard it. Overall most people who heard it are really positive about it. It’s generally seen as a big step up from our split, both musically as production wise. I think this is some of my best writing so far, and most of our friends seem to agree to that. The singles we released in anticipation of the full album did get very good feedback, so that builds good confidence for the record.
12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Kurt: I think we’ve set the foundation for our sound with this record. We will continue to build on this in the future. The current songs we are writing are a bit less mid tempo. So more fast but also real slow parts in there. Maybe also include a bit more of the old Swedish bands in our music like Grave, Dismember, Entombed… We’ll see. I like that our music allows for a multitude of influences and styles to be mixed into it.
13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Kurt: When writing I get a lot of inspiration from my all time favorite records. I often think “What would Slayer do” when I’m stuck with a song. Big inspirations for me are black metal bands like Dissection, Watain and Darkthrone. Those records get a weekly spin at home. But a lot of classical death metal records also find their way into our music. Bolt Thrower’s “The fourth crusade”, At The Gates’ “Terminal spirit disease”, the later Death albums… A lot of “smaller” bands I look up to also find their way into our music. I’m really into bands like Ringworm and Der Weg Einer Freiheit, and our friends in The Infernal Sea from the UK have always been a band I’ve looked up to.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Kurt: First of all: Thank you very much for this interview and the support you’re giving our band. It really means the world to us when people express an interest towards our music. Also the people who read this: Thank you for checking us out! I’d encourage everyone who reads this to get involved in underground music. Start a band, do a zine, go to shows and maybe put on a gig yourself. It’s not the big fests and rockstar bands that keep metal alive, but people like you and me who are passionate about it
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