ENTROPIA INVICTUS - Human Pantocrator
French metal band Entropia Invictus has been around for more than ten years already, but only since 2015 under the current name. Before that they had released four albums as Entropia. Their last record Black Drop In Clear Water came out in 2012, and now they are hoping that with a new name, a new logo, a new label and a new drummer, to pick things up again.
The strange cover artwork of Human Pantocrator combines different religious symbols, which is in accordance with the album’s concept about how people determine religions. This us underlain by a very varied music as the guys from the Auvergne don’t want to limit themselves to just one single genre. Their music takes its charm from playing with extremes. From the modus operandi you can draw parallels to Devin Townsend and Mushuggah, although Entropia Invictus sound different. The major component might be symphonic black metal, but there are also elements of progressive, thrash and death metal present. The band loves to play around with the different styles and to catch their audience at unawares, sometimes with unusual musical instruments. On Euphoria’s End the band hired a professional piano player, and then there are also some sampled organ and violins to hear throughout the album. You might accuse the band of overloading the songs, but that’s precisely the charm of their sound. Like the one moment operatic choirs deliver a healthy dose of pathos before the listener is blown away by blast beats. Some tracks, like The Builder The Destroyer and In The Attic, have a definite old school progressive thrash metal feeling.
These are only a few examples that show how varied and unpredictable Entropia Invictus’s music is. They may not be the first band to choose that path, but I still applaud them for their unconventional approach. Human Pantocrator definitely demands a lot of patience, but if you are will to give the album your undivided attention, you won’t be disappointed by the forty intensive minutes of truly extraordinary music.