Album Review: High Priest – Invocation

Righteous, intense and delightfully electrifying

Chicago-based stoner doom metal band High Priest recently released their debut full-length album Invocation. The LP serves as a follow up to the band’s sophomore EP Sanctum which was released in April 2019 as well as their 2016 debut EP entitled Consecration. Each track on Invocation is filled with vein jolting instrumentation courtesy of Pete Grossmann, Justin Valentino, Dan Polak and John Regan. Also, the righteous vocal performance from Valentino brings an extra kick of harmony to each and every song. High Priest’s skills as a band truly shine on Invocation.

Electrifying track “Divinity” features killer guitar playing. The riffs of the bass guitar shake the background with face smacking riffs while the lead guitar sizzles the atmosphere with shredding notes. “Divinity” is a masterpiece in and of itself, displaying how passionate each guitarist is with their contributions to the album and band overall.

Headbanger “Cosmic Key” is a classic example of what doom metal sounds like on the drums. Throughout the whole composition, the drum playing maintains a simple yet electrifying musical tempo and each drum beat brings a bluesy feeling within the lingering madness. 

The mind dazzling “Down In The Dark” displays how powerful Valentino is as a vocalist. Throughout the whole song, Valentino’s voice remains strong and dominant while he harmonically and passionately wails out the lyrics. “Down In The Dark” is a beautiful song that allows Valentino to show off his skills as a vocalist.

The mystical “Universe” puts High Priest’s Black Sabbath inspiration at the forefront. Each drum beat evokes the classic musical heaviness that Black Sabbath pioneered. “Universe” proves how much love and respect they have toward the legendary metal band Black Sabbath. High Priest have also proclaimed their affinity for Electric Wizard, Thin Lizzy, Metallica and Alice In Chains which is clear on Invocation.

Invocation is a great album because of the intense, dynamic instrumentation and sizzling vocal performances. The record shows how much High Priest cares about their music and how dedicated they are to their craft.