Few bands survive difficult beginnings, but for those very rare few that do, such a process inevitably colours their music. For those few, it gives a level of authenticity that can never be manufactured, only earned.
This same musical maturity simply emanates from the eponymous debut album from Australia’s The Incantus. From the opening moments of “Horror”, seven years of creative efforts begin to lay themselves bare. A wall of unabashedly honest and emotive music that darts between portents of doom, powerful parables, to songs blatantly drawn from very real, lived experiences. From a fraught return to music, an interstate move, line-up challenges and finally the separation of the pandemic – it can be said The Incantus wears these conquered troubles as badges of honour. Speaking with founder Nat Harmer “The Incantus was originally created as a studio project with just myself, mainly as a means to return to playing the music I love, songs and ideas I couldn’t have explored within previous projects. Most of all, it was a way to crystallise and express many things that have weighed upon me greatly throughout life”. “In ‘Goddess Ablaze’ the lyrics ‘I can never leave this place, this cairn of my life’s esteems, a stone orchard for dead songs and dreams’ best capture these troubles, things that up until meeting my brothers, I never really started to process”. Continuing “When I met Sam, and one became two, The Incantus, for me, evolved into something more than the idea I initially set out with. It became a melting pot of our collective pain, trauma and frustration – a central focus point where we could all express ourselves as one”. A band brought together by fate rather than more familiar avenues - the addition of Kris Corvus’ visceral vocals in 2019, later followed by Darcy Mulcahy’s powerful drum sound, and most recently Luke Clarke on bass – The Incantuswould realise the fully rounded sound they long sought after. Genuinely pleased to come across an older album aesthetic, dedicated to taking the listener on a journey through each track, rather than being a cobbled together series of stand-alone singles. Whilst modern listening hobs certainly err towards the later, it’s heartening to come across artists that stick wholeheartedly to the traditional album format. To see this completely neglected would be to lose a sense of grander, interconnected work. From the energy of “Sidhe of the Barrow”, to the anthemic “Wintersmith”, all coming to rest with the aptly named “Quiescence” – It’d be fair to say that The Incantus will be anything but dormant. The Incantus’ self titled debut album is available now on CD and all streaming platforms, with a vinyl master release due in future. | 
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