In the frontline with Invasion

Brutal and pulverizing Thrash/Death metal band extolling the time honored virtues of death, destruction and warfare within a musical front. Invasion have launched a precise tactical strike against the complacent metal scene by unleashing a furious devastating bombardment with their albums "Conquered" and "Berserk Artillery Barrage".
The invasion sound is immense. Combining the vicious attack of late 80's/early 90's Scandinavian guitar crunch with razor sharp hate-filled vocals, unrelenting drum attacks and bludgeoning guitar tones mixed with straight forward face ripping riffs comprise the sounds of war.
Be prepared for total war and see what Phlegm has to tell about their new release "Orchestrated Kill Maneuver".

Greeting from Texas and how are you? Please introduce yourself to your fans and the readers of BRUTALSIM.com. Can you tell the readers about Invasion and how long the band has been together?
Hails brother! I am PHLEGM – vocalist/guitarist for the band INVASION. We have been in existence since approximately 1989 and have 3 albums currently available: Conquered (1999) Berserk Artillery Barrage (2002) & Orchestrated Kill Maneuver (2010). Currently our line-up consists of Crusader/Drums, Warbastard/Blower Bass & Nifelhenious/Lead Guitar.

Prior to enlisting with Rotting Corpse Records the band put out two releases on two separated labels. What happened between the band and these previous labels the band was working with at the time?
The very first release “Conquered” was originally with Killjoy’s label Baphomet Records (from Necrophagia fame) and he managed to get it distributed by Hammerheart/The Plague in Europe but financial obligations caught up to him & and he dropped all the bands on the label. The 2nd release “Berserk Artillery Barrage” was through Forever Underground & the owner (Bill Smith) also encountered some financial difficulties and within a short time Epitome Productions absorbed his label.

What attracted Invasion to sign to with Rotting Corpse Records and how's the relationship been with the label so far?
We’ve heard about Ron and the RC label from other bands & the fact that he supported underground metal from Chicago suited our needs. Since we are within close proximity to him it seemed the most advantageous to us and we hoped he could achieve the end results we were looking for. Ron has been very professional & we support him & Rotting Corpse 100%!!!

Invasion was inactive for seven years after it's formation due to line up changes and limited rehearsal space. What were leading factors into the rebirth of Invasion after seven years of hibernation?
Invasion has primarily been a studio band (except for the occasional live show) and our other bands & family affairs may have taken precedence at the time. Some of our other projects include Skullview, Nocturnal Torment, Yellowtooth, Summon The Vengeance, Vaporized and Stone Magnum. Plus the allowance of time for working 40+ hours a week put a damper on any recordings prospects. We all have other obligations & unfortunately that makes things difficult to continue 24/7.

What were the reasons for Tyrant and Crusader to leave Invasion? Was their departure in positive terms as far as both parties concerned?
Tyrant is still very close with Invasion but his primary responsibilities lately have revolved around his company and their work schedule. His work requires travel & unfortunately when we rehearse for the studio we try to maintain a rigid schedule which is impossible at times, hence our hiring of Nefilehenious. As for Crusader he will always be the drummer for Invasion and without him it wouldn’t exist. His style is so unique that I wouldn’t want a replacement. He is, as far as I’m concerned, the groundwork for Invasion. Crusader had several physical ailments that he’s had to address but I’m thankful he is still with us!

The band planned to release Orchestrated Kill Maneuver, which is the band's third opus. How this album different from the bands previous two releases?
This album is geared towards 1990’s death metal, whereas the first couple releases had that Sadus/Merciless vocal shredding/attack. We incorporated more traditional death metal elements this time around & I think it’s a vast improvement. Plus the overall production is boneshakingly heavy!!! We have always enjoyed the lesions of extreme thrash & have always incorporated it within our styling but this time we leaned heavily on our death metal cousins from across the pond!!!

I love the sound of this album very much! It has that early "Into The Grave" sound of Grave, which is one of my favorite death metal bands. How long was the recording process for "Orchestrated Kill Maneuver"? Were you pleased with the results of the recording?
The album itself took a little under a year to record but we had problems concerning health issues with our families and that obviously took precedence. The recording itself went well and we are very pleased with the end result. Also a very big thanks to Scott Creekmore (Num Skull/Digital Mercenary) for his assistance with the mastering process.

You think this lineup is much stronger than the previous band line-up?
How well have things been working with Nifelhenious as Tyrant's replacement and it seem like things been work out great with Crusader back in the fold too.
I think this line-up recorded very well together but losing Tyrant initially after Berserk hurt. He was a big part of Invasion & we wish him the best in his future endeavors. As of now it looks like we may be losing Nifelhenious as well & obtaining a new guitarist in Stabhoth. Nifelhenious owns his own studio & music company and he is currently very pressed for time with his business. Apparently that’s a running theme with our guitar players, haha!!!

What were several bands that Invasion admired when the band first started?
We are total metal freaks!!! We listen too Sacrifice, Slaughter, Infernal Majesty, Venom, Sodom, Onslaught, Destruction & Tankard. The Swedish bands that kicked our ass number in the 100’s… there are so fucking many, haha!!! Early Uncanny, Megaslaughter, Therion, Abhoth, Treblinka, Merciless… the list can go on forever!!!

How's things been working out on the live front? The bands been playing any live shows in your area?
Invasion hasn’t played a show since 2003 and we probably won’t play live until 2011. As I said earlier we are all involved in other bands & work full time jobs and that absorbs any extra time. It’s also difficult to find opportunities to play, as Invasion doesn’t want to play local garages and playhouses with emo/breakdown bands. It just doesn’t work for us.

Tell me a little about the metal scene in your area. You get a lot of support from your hometown when you play local gigs.
We’ve only played live twice in our area and both shows had a good response. They audience were mostly comprised of other bands & friends who knew of Invasion and had passed around the old cassettes rehearsals at the time. We did manage to record one show but I am uncertain as too it’s release, although it has managed to be passed around a bit over time.

If I want to get the band previous releases is there anyway I can purchases these release from the band?
I have copies of the 2nd & 3rd releases but the debut is somewhat difficult to find. “Conquered” was released in Europe and only a few copies managed to find their way over here in the USA. I do have copies available of Berserk & Orchestrated but for the true collectors you should be able to find our materials using either GEMM.com or MUSICSTACK.com as they have those releases available. Perhaps even Amazon.com, haha!

Any plans for doing any live shows in support of Orchestrated Kill Maneuver?
Not until 2011 will we do any shows and those will be sporadic at best. We look forward to supporting our friends in Kommandant, Nocturnal Torment & Vaporized. These should occur in Chicago/Illinois and will keep everyone informed as to the actual dates.

What bands from your area you would personally recommend or worth checking out?
I am partial to both Nocturnal Torment & Vaporized. Both are excellent death metal bands. Also Overbeast, Psychomancer, Summon The Vengeance, Impurium, & Corporation SS are to too be watched. Quality stuff!

I like to thank you for your time and I really appreciate the interview very much. Do you have anything you like to add?
Thanks for the interview & for supporting Invasion!!! You can find our releases on any of the above websites so purchase them & listen to our brand of fucking war metal!!!!! Hails!!!