Reviews

...Soulful in parts, melodic in others, and transcending each of these without warning. Track 7, "Beautiful Disaster," has a wonderful cool jive with traces of 1980s soul. Within the feelings of the jive is a wonderful pop flair and one can feel the track cascading and building in intensity. And again, a mid track smoking guitar solo changes the vibe completely until its abrupt end. A philosophical message talking about the setting and rising of the sun, theological interventions, angels, visions and prophecies start the highlight of Narcotica that is "Dark Highway, Part III: New Rome." This huge progressive rocker also has traces of grunge that makes for an interesting mix. It is however played to its fullest...
www.hardrockhaven.net/reviews2008/april08/Invisigoth%20-%20Narcotica.php

This album is my introduction to Invisigoth although it is their second album. I don't think I'm alone in finding it difficult to classify the band, The album starts with a full on, power metal style symphonic feel. During the album there is a fair amount of funk, some good middle eastern influences and a lot of heavy neo prog. The album is different to the usual progressive offering and I find it a refreshing listen. I like Dark Highway Part i - Transmission for its heavy, power metal start and song based neo core. I love the vocals on this track, and the same holds true for the rest of the album. The singing is often multi-part and always well done. They add to the vitality of the album in the same way that the vocals work with The Reasoning (in my opinion)...
www.proggnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25388

German review
www.musikansich.de/review.php?id=5926

Italian review
www.metalzone.it/recensioni2008/invisigoth.html

...The CD Narcotica, their second release consists of 9-tracks with the focus being the four part epicDark Highway. The music created by Cage is extremely varied, incorporating everything from prog-metal riffs, mainstream rock, symphonic prog, and even some dance-oriented moments. The arrangements of the compositions allows for some rather interesting musical change-ups where the compositions go from one extreme to another and yet hang together amazingly well. Narcotica starts off with the first two-parts of Dark Highway, “Transmission” (9:35) and “Before First Light” (11:59) and here the music is at its most exotic, mixing middle-eastern influenced rock with huge symphonic arrangements. Not lost in all of this is a certain aggressive touch, but it comes off less as prog-metal and more as a heavy prog like older Gerard. For me one of the neat things about the way Invisigoth write is their penchant for going from fast to slow, loud and soft, complex to simple with their arrangements. This is a technique they use to great effect in songs like “Scars and Dust” (5:25) but it really is heard throughout the disc. For the most part Narcotica is a CD built on a myriad of well crafted hooks and riffs deftly joined together to make a very satisfying whole. There is something hooky coming around each corner, every few minutes the composition morphs into another clever segment. The disc ends with the last two parts of Dark Highway; “New Rome” (11:03) and “Take the Blood” (10:09). What I said about their first release applies here in spades; these are compositions of great contrast, incorporating more aggressive moments along side elements of majesty, drama and moody atmosphere. In many waysNarcotica is even grander than their first...
www.jerrylucky.com/reviews%20f-j_006.htm

...The album is different to the usual progressive offering and I find it a refreshing listen. I like Dark Highway Part i - Transmission for its heavy, power metal start and song based neo core. I love the vocals on this track, and the same holds true for the rest of the album. The singing is often multi-part and always well done. They add to the vitality of the album in the same way that the vocals work with The Reasoning (in my opinion)...
www.silverdb.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25388

Italian review
www.babylonmagazine.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2779&Itemid=0

Portuguese reivew
fenixwebzine.blogspot.com/2008/05/invisigoth-narcotica-2008-progrock.html

Interview with band
www.imhotep.no/?did=9078027

...It is really amazing what these two guys have yet again brought us! Narcotica is an addictive album. There are so many beautiful songs on it. The first two and last two songs together form a great epic, but the rest of songs are just as great and when you start playing the album, it is as if you join a roller coaster: you are swept away with the music and cannot get off before the album is finished. And I think once the ride is over, you'll go again...
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3424

Danish review
www.fileunder.nl/archives/2008/05/demains_building_an_empire_invisigoth_narcoti.php

French review
www.progressive-area.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=741&Itemid=2

The main point to make on the music presented on "Narcotica" is that there's really no dominating musical style to be found, not on the album as such nor in any of the individual compositions. Instead of focusing on one or a few styles, the band has chosen to go from style to style within each individual tune, and especially on the longer tracks, where you may find a plethora of musical directions visited more or less briefly from start to finish. This makes for a taxing listen, demanding a lot of attention from anyone checking out this release. Fans of conventional progressive rock may have a hard time feeling at ease with this album, as the album is more experimental than typically progressive in style. This is innovative stuff though, so those of the opinion that progressive music is innovative and groundbreaking rather than representing certain ways of performing music should find many interesting aspects to this release...
www.progressor.net/review/invisigoth_2008.html

Polish review
www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2311&Itemid=26

Italian review
www.loudvision.it/musica_recensioni-invisigoth-narcotica--2042.html

Portugese review
progbrasil.com.br/ExibeResenhas.php?eID=1012

...This isn't just an album release. For me this is THE 2008 album of the year. Of course i can't look into the future but other bands will have a very rough fight to battle to beat this one of the number 1 spot. There isn't a moment in the album which you can forsee. They mixed so many styles together and did that so brilliantly that if you don't watch out you might forget to breathe. The Invisigoth ethos is really about ignoring genres and labels, and instead embracing the larger entity that is music itself. This isn't just music, this is art...
progressivemusic-ginfress.blogspot.com/2008/03/invisigoth-narcotica.html

I enjoyed Invisigoth’s last album quite a bit, so when this one arrived, I was excited. The excitement was well worth it. These guys have produced another wonderful album, this one being even stronger than its predecessor. If you like neo-prog with elements of epic metal in the mix, then this is for you. These guys take that general sound and create incredibly strong music from the mix of textures. You’ll probably think of Pink Floyd at times when listening to this, but that’s just one part of the picture. There are many elements brought to the plate, but the main course is pure Invisigoth – and it’s tasty – so you better come hungry...
www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=100575

French review
www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2652

...What you get is a diverse album where you’re taken into several different atmosphere, be it a trip to the Middle East, going to a bar, visiting an ambient restaurant to drink you instant coffee and eat an excellent piece of pie or to a mystique tomb in Egypt. To me it feels like Cage doesn’t write music, he paints songs. Abstract at times, because I don’t always manage to keep up but most of the time understandable collages of various emotions. He does more or less every instrument by himself, making music that an old friend lends his voice to in order to make sense. And boy, does it make sense! Viggo Domino is perhaps not up to par with Jørn Lande or Russel Allen (then again, who is?), but he’s very close. And he varies his voice adjusting to the music throughout the whole journey. In the title track he shows a lot of potential, singing with conviction even when he reaches the highest tunes...
www.imhotep.no/?did=9077523

...It sometimes reminds me a little bit of Shadow Gallery,Ayreon and bands like that I must confess it takes a few turns to get into this album. But after that it really gets your attention.the more you listen to this album the beter it gets. I think that some people will not like the vocals done by Viggo Domino (I didn't like it first also) But I really think he is the perfect man for the job. The mix of Narcotica is very good the only thing is that the vocals aren't very hard. As I said before the cd contians 9 songs and I really love them all specially the 4 part Epic Dark Highway.After hearing this album it's time for me to get as soon as possible their first album Alcoholocaust.Cause even if it's half as good as Narcotica it will be a great album
www.metallinks.nl/01-reviews/Invisigoth.html

Interview with Cage
www.metallinks.nl/02-interviews/Invisigoth.html

Spanish Review
manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/I/INVISIGOTH/narcotica.html

While loads of musicianship is demonstrated in this album, it is obvious that Invisigoth’s creature has been cooked up in a lab; because there are numerous - daresay diverse - influences burned into its DNA. While the results are melodic, it’s often pretty scary to behold. It’s harder to say if it’s closer to Frankenstein’s monster or a Predalien. Regardless, it won’t be an alienator to prospective fans on the fringe of progressive rock. Then again, people may fear getting mauled by this transmogrified chimera at first. In the end, the breed gets a bad wrap as it’s both provocative and affable when given a chance...
usaprogmusic.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_simple_review&Itemid=28&review=197-Invisigoth-Narcotica

German review
www.heavy-metal.de/?id=11730

...Before we proceed, let me make one thing straight. This is NOT for die-hard, old school or whatever metal fans, regardless of genre. Cliché as it may sound, this one calls for openmindness and unconditional acceptance of their unique way of composing music. It is addressed to fans of progressive rock very much alike Pink Floyd, Genesis and Porcupine Tree, yet, you can't really categorize their music. Less metal and more prog rock for sure ("Pornocopia" and "Scars and Dust" vouch for it, pure prog rock anthems), but there's a lot more here than meets the… "ear", like some spatial and 70's keyboard arrangements or eastern touches ("Narcotica"), even funky disco beats ("Dark Highway part 2") or ambient, easy listening themes. The way they combine all these, even in a single track, is beyond astonishing and man, this is so complex, so diverse, so multilayered, so demanding and so difficult. You won't find a catchy moment, you can't predict what rhythm will follow within a minute's time and certainly you can't delimit it and that's what's magical and at the same time prohibitive about it. Certainly we're talking about a very gifted duet that offers an inimitable piece-of-work, so there's only one thing you should ask yourselves: Are you up to the challenge?
www.metalperspective.com/reviews/invisigoth_2.php

...More melodic and less gothic than its predecessor, Narcotica presents nine songs that echo Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and the Flower Kings while still retaining their originality. This is tough music to slot into any neat category, making for adventurous and rewarding listening. Five shorter pieces — including the groovy rocker "Scars and Dust" and the seductive, thought-provoking "Pornocopia" — allow Domino to stretch his voice and Cage to work within more structured musical settings. Those songs are sandwiched between a four-part epic called "Dark Highway." Two parts each begin and end the album, and they each average about 10 minutes, pulsing with Middle-Eastern swirls, symphonic elements and dramatic sonic imagery, The entire piece easily is this duo's most ambitious work, brought down only slightly by some strange spoken-word passages...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6441

French review
www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=1435

...Following up last year’s similarly themed, and cleverly titled Alcoholocaust, Narcotica continues the styles initiated in that debut album. Using a spread of musical styles but centering in on a Progressive mode, this album truly runs the track with plenty of changes. With a blend of symphonic rock, the familiar sounds of conceptualized Progressive, and even hints of early ‘80s hair metal, Narcotica is an excellent work that showcases the talents of its two creators...
www.musictap.net/Reviews/InvisigothNarcoticaCD.html

Italian review
www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recensioni&file=view&id=2687

French review
www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=2841