“Our thought from day one was to make heavy fucking metal, stuff that's brutal, but still catchy,” says Invocation of Nehek guitarist and Co-founding member Robb Cyr (Steve Pianka being the other founding member). “We are all hardcore kids in one form or another, so we still wanted to have breakdowns, but we also wanted to be a little different” Mission accomplished. These self-proclaimed “hardcore kids,” since their formation in Hartford , Connecticut , in 2001, have transformed into one of the Northeast's most diverse and utterly explosive new bands.

Discovered by Unearth guitarist Ken Susi when Invocation of Nehek played The Pogo Club in Norwich CT, the quintet accepted an invitation to record a demo with Susi, a move that would soon land them their deal with Prosthetic Records and lead to the release of their Susi-produced, self-titled debut. Getting to that point wasn't easy, however. A succession of different band members made it difficult to move forward and, before finding bassist Tim Leonard, ION played a number of shows (including the one at The Pogo Club) without a bassist.

When they found the chemistry, it was undeniable—a crushing, completely brutal collision of extreme styles coalescing into a sound that almost has a physical impact on the listener. “We knew we wanted to be a little different,” says Cyr. “We figured our influences were so diverse that we would write music that fit in with a lot of metal, hardcore and metalcore, but at the same time we wanted that little something extra to separate us.”

Comparisons to bands like Unearth, God Forbid and Lamb of God were inevitable, but Invocation of Nehek's hardcore roots have been one aspect that has consistently set the band apart. “We are a metal band with hardcore ethics and ideals,” explains Cyr, “and that is really something that stands out.”

Those same ethics have helped build unity in a scene that is overflowing with amazing new bands (many of whom are signed to Prosthethic), who could just as easily treat each other as rivals. “The pride of friends, family and community that is shared amongst the bands around here is really special and is one thing that I thinks sets New England apart from any other part of the country,” says Cyr.

And Invocation of Nehek's thoroughly chest-caving metal, cross-pollinated with pure hardcore, sets them apart from every other band in the fertile Northeast scene.

Invocation Of Nehek is no longer together, they have disbanded.