Artist: Invenom
CD Title: Theory Over
Label: Spellbook Production
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 12-4-05

Software programs today make it relatively easy to knock out a passable Suicide Commando or VNV Nation rip-off, get it on a couple of compilations and maybe even squeeze some club play out of it, all without ever releasing an actual album. Invenom’s David R. Harris takes the opposite approach, recording and releasing multiple albums himself. The obvious downside to this strategy is that it’s probably never going to win Invenom a huge audience; given the aforementioned ease of manufacturing generic but professional-sounding club fodder, only diehard industrial fans are going to go out of their way to listen to garage-rock quality stuff. There’s a big advantage to this approach, however. Since he doesn’t have to kowtow to labels or club DJs, Harris also doesn’t have to worry about sticking to a particular tried and true sound. He’s free to do what he feels like, and though this doesn’t always end well, it does produce some intriguing explorations. While the more generic danceable stuff, particularly the darkwave-inspired “Hunger Of Child,” is amateurish at best, the more experimental tracks are very interesting. “No Help In Hell” is classic black ambient, with moody atmospheres, some muffled speech and a bleak, relentless snare beat, while “The Ill Intent” starts out with thickly distorted female vocals and electronic loops before transitioning into a horror film harpsichord piece. “Dark Rites Of Old” is also worth a listen, integrating guitar feedback with a steady drum machine pattern. Not everyone’s going to like this, but Harris deserves respect for his D.I.Y. attitude and his devotion to underground music. Open-minded industrial fans – especially if they’ve ever been inspired to start a band themselves – should give this a listen.

More information and lots of free Invenom downloads, including the entirety of the “Theory Over” album, are available from www.spellbookproductions.net.