If you were following Hartford metalcore in the early 2000s, Invocation of Nehek was one of those bands you passed around on burned CDs and swore was going to blow up. They released a self-titled full-length on Prosthetic Records in 2004, played their runs, and then quietly dissolved in 2006. Twenty years later, they’re back — and on Friday, June 12, they’re bringing the reunion to Empire Underground in downtown Albany.
The Albany show is the second stop on a short two-date June run. The band plays Wise Guys Records in Union Beach, NJ on June 5, then heads north to Albany a week later. If you missed the reunion shows in 2025 — or their Hellfest West set back in February — this is a narrow window to catch them in a small room.
About Invocation of Nehek
Invocation of Nehek formed in Hartford, CT in 2001 and broke up in 2006. Their self-titled album — produced by Ken Susi of Unearth and released on Prosthetic Records in October 2004 — is the kind of record that sounds bigger every time someone discovers it: guttural growls, screamed vocals, riffs built for memorability over sheer technicality, and breakdowns that actually earn their keep. Rob Carpenter on vocals, Robb Cyr and Steve Pianka on guitars, Tim Leonard on bass, Tom O’Hare on drums. The original lineup, back together for a limited 2025–2026 reunion run.
About Empire Underground
Empire Underground is the downstairs room at Empire Live Albany, at 93 N. Pearl Street in the heart of Albany’s Capital District. It’s a 350-capacity space that is, as the name suggests, literally underground — built to put the band and the crowd in close contact and keep the energy contained. The venue opened in fall 2021, and for a metalcore reunion show, that kind of room feels exactly right.
You’re in the middle of downtown Albany, so give yourself extra time to sort out parking before the 6:30 PM doors.
Tickets
Doors open at 6:30 PM on Friday, June 12, 2026. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster. Get your tickets here.