INVICTUS: UNSTOPPABLE DEBUT FROM PROJECT LED BY KATAKLYSM/EX DEO FRONTMAN MAURIZIO IACONO OUT TODAY ON MNRK HEAVY
LISTEN AND PURCHASE THE RECORD HERE
“A passion project with huge potential, INVICTUS gives an intriguing glimpse into the creative mind of one of death metal's greatest unsung heroes… the sound of honest endeavor and great songwriting are unmistakable.” – Blabbermouth
“Occupying a similar sonic space to Kataklysm on the new song, INVICTUS dig into exactly four minutes of fist-pumping, anthemic death metal.” – MetalSucks on Get Up
“If you’ve been in the mood for something that’ll kick your ass right into gear, then you’re going to dig the relentlessly driving nature of ‘Exiled.’ Because let’s face it – what else did you expect from Iacono?” – Metal Injection
“The riffing jolts, swirls, and blazes, and the music soars to extravagant heart-pounding heights, while the vocals themselves burn with unbridled passion, and they soar too, in spine-tingling fashion… The song’s melodies and vocal expressions seem in line with the song’s lyrical conception. Even at the zeniths of intensity, they seem to combine sorrow with resilience, both wistfulness and a drive to fight, and the brief but surprising softer moments in the track underscore the melancholy that’s there even behind the audio novas in the song…” - No Clean Singing on Bleed Me Out
“Solo projects can be hit and miss affairs but Unstoppable is just that. An aggressive, determined and pointedly focused record that once started is almost impossible to turn off. As much as the world of death metal needs Ex Deo and Kataklysm,
let’s hope this isn’t just a one-off.” – Ghost Cult
TORONTO, ON – October 20, 2022 – Unstoppable, the debut full-length by INVICTUS, is out today on MNRK Heavy. INVICTUS is the new project led by Maurizio Iacono. Well-respected as the singer of Kataklysm and Ex Deo, head of Hard Impact Artist Management, founder of Distortion Music Group, and co-owner of hard-and-heavy booking agency Continental Touring, Iacono delivers dynamic new layers of heaviness and melody with his latest creative vehicle.
Conceived as an unflinching examination of fury and determination, INVICTUS explores the depths of struggle, frustration, and perseverance that shaped Iacono into the man he is today. A Latin epithet for various Roman deities, “Invictus” translates to “unconquered” or “invincible,” a theme put forward throughout Iacono’s latest output.
“On the surface, Unstoppable owes plenty to big-budget melo-death and the scarred crunch of New Wave of American Heavy Metal bands like Chimaira and HIMSA,” writes Blabbermouth in part. “Dig a little deeper and these songs have a dark charm all their own, not least because Iacono seems to be delving into more personal and intimate subject matter than ever before.” Ghost Cult lauds, “an aggressive, determined and pointedly focused record that once started is almost impossible to turn off.” adding, “As much as the world of death metal needs Ex Deo and Kataklysm, let’s hope this isn’t just a one-off.”
Unstoppable is available on CD, LP, cassette, and digitally. Preview and purchase the record here. View the band’s previously released videos for Exiled, Get Up, and Bleed Me Out at the INVICTUS YouTube channel here.
The eleven songs that make up Unstoppable offer an unflinching view of an unbreakable spirit, examined through the lens of ambitious, unapologetic heavy music. Iacono executed his vision alongside longtime collaborator J-F Dagenais (guitarist for Kataklysm and Ex Deo) and producer/main songwriter Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within). Powerhouse drummer Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc., Inhuman Condition) rounded out the record with a blistering performance. Iacono got to know Clancy, who often works alongside Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap, while making Kataklysm’s fourteenth album, 2020’s Unconquered.