We caught up with Marcus Vik, lead vocalist from American metalcore band Invent Animate, about their music and recent signing to UNFD. Their new EP, The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was, is out now on all streaming platforms.

We also talk about his creative process when writing new music, his music influences, and lots more. Here’s what Marcus had to say.

How exciting is it for Invent Animate to sign to UNFD?

MV: I’m extremely excited! There’s a comfy number of bands involved with this label that inspire me as a musician and I don’t think we could’ve found a better fit as who we are as a band today. The team on UNFD has been very progressive to work with so far and I feel like they get us like no one else would (because honestly, Invent is basically a pack of weird dudes lol).

In your opinion, what is the appeal of Metal music? Why is it so popular?

MV: Metal today is a lot about emotional and musical details and I’ve always felt like it is a genre that’s hard to sink into but once you’re down there, there’s basically no way out of it. It’s positively addictive in a sense, and when I listen to Metal, it always gives me something other genres don’t. Metal to me is the deeper emotional brother of Rock that’s harder to hang out with but way funnier once you get to know him.

Who would you say are some of your musical influences?

MV: I’m a real vocal nerd, so I’m usually drawn to bands and artists that stand out in that regard (I hate that about myself). Some artists that inspire me today are PVRIS, Apparat, Oh Sleeper, Bon Iver, and I’m currently stuck on Loathe and Silent Planet’s new stuff. The beginning of my career as a musician was flooded with bands like Parkway Drive, Killswitch Engage and the Swedish kings Adept.

Did you always know that music was something you wanted to pursue?

MV: I’ve always felt like a late bloomer in that regard with starting music at 16/17 years old playing old deathcore covers together with my friends. It wasn’t until I was like 21 that I made the “decision” to pursue music with a more serious aim. I’m 28 now and I can’t see another path in front of me than doing what I love and doing the only thing I feel I’m good at.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

MV: Start out by having a lot of fun with creating music, find people that want the same and make yourself a couple of songs that you feel happy with. That’s the beginning of it all in my experience.

What is your favorite song(s) to perform live?

MV: Our song “Dark” for sure, no question. We opened our shows with that song live on the Trilogy Tour before Covid wrecked us into unemployment and it always had a surprising aspect to it, walking up the stage to that intro. One song to mention as well is “Luna”. I feel like so many of our fans feel that song more than any other Invent song and it has a perfect moment for me to let the crowd do the singing while I stage dive.

Can you describe your creative process when you’re writing new music?

MV: I usually write a massive story on my phone about something I’ve experienced, I cut that in smaller parts with more describing words to make it more punchy, I write a melody and some arrangement rhythms to an instrumental track that the guys have written beforehand, and then I just try to fit it in there the best I can. After that, I usually record myself whispering it out and then I go to the recording process to make the demo.

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Stream The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was here

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