In 2017, Copenhell was good at delivering high quality in all levels of fame – from international superstars, to upcoming demo bands, there was something to enjoy in all of them.
Thus it was, that many of the bands we here at Metalmoments were excited to see, did not come from the absolute top of the fame ladder, but rather inhabited various steps of the mid-section. Invocator, an old Danish thrash band risen out of the break-up grave for this event, was one of these.

“Copenhell! God damn it’s good to see all of you. We’re going to play some old songs.”
- Jacob Hansen (vocals/guitar)

Invocator was not only our first Danish band at the festival, they were also the first band we caught on the Pandæmonium stage. Why this prominent reunited act was set to play the smallest of the festivals three stages is anyone’s guess, but at least they had managed to pull a very good crowd away from the two larger ones.
And why not? There’s a lot of nostalgia bound together with Invocator, but they also dust off their gear once in a while for a show here and there, and in these places they show they still have what it takes, so their present form was to be expected to be just as strong as they ever were.
As they began playing, it turned out they weren’t going to deliver one of the break-neck action-filled shows of some other bands, but what they did do was create a perfectly cosy and comfortable atmosphere. That is not to say that the material had lost any of its edge, it hadn’t, but the band members seemed really laid back in their performance. Smiling, talking, being familiar with the audience, all of this helped build the nice package that Invocator delivered to their fans and friends.
The setlist was a nice mix of their songs, going from the 1989 demo Alterations to the 2003 comeback album Through The Flesh To The Soul. The weight of the set was on their sophomore album though, 1993’s Weave The Apocalypse, which I’m sure was just fine with the audience.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for 30 years!”
- Hansen (vocals/guitar)

It was not just fine with the audience actually, it was loved!
As with the band’s performance, the crowd was mostly laid back as well, at least compared to the huge circle pits and crowdsurfing extravaganzas that we had seen for the previous concerts at the festival.
Still, there was no doubt about the love for the band. Deafening shouts between songs, and the headbanging during them told us as much. And it wasn’t that people were standing completely still, neither on the ground nor on the stage, they just weren’t running about. Less can do it.
Invocator delivered a tight and confident show, telling all that these old dogs still had it in them. All of our expectations were met, some were even pushed beyond. I’d even go so far as to say that Invocator delivered the best show of the day, even with some strong competition – our trip to the Pandæmonium stage was definitely a success. Now, for my own part, I came to know the band rather late in life, so given how much I enjoyed it, I can only imagine how much better it must have been for those around me, who surely had a much longer history with Invocator.
The only real problem with the show, and that would become a recurring theme on this stage, was that it was over too soon. Sure, they got Through The Nether To The Sun in as an encore, but I believe it was a planned one at that, but I think I can safely speak for everyone present, when I say that we were ready for more!

Setlist:

Dying To Live
Doomed To Be
Astray
From My Skull It Rains
Excursion Demise
Shattered Self
Breed Of Sin
Alterations
Desert Sands
King In A World Of Fools
The Afterbirth
Through The Flesh To The Soul
Through The Nether To The Sun