Killswitch Engage are back! And boy are we happy about that. Its been 3 years since Disarm The Descent and since we saw the return of Jesse Leach. The burning question leading into incarnate was if they could keep the momentum going from its predecessor which was fantastic.
The answer to that question is, yes! Yes they can!
The journey begins with ‘Alone I Stand’ which is a fitting entrance to such an album and sets the bar high with its melodic intro and galloping goodness before punching right into ‘Hate By Design’ which asks the listener to “redefine your life” whilst offering the die hard Killswitch Engage fan their signature hook that we have all come to know and love and that will have you humming for days after.
‘Strength Of Mind’ enters gritty groovy riffage with the vocals entering with screams. Yep, you guessed it, that killer chorus hook is back in this track too. ‘Just Let Go’ feels like it came straight off of Disarm the Descent and would certainly fit well. At this point this definitely feels like a welcomed continuation of the album.
Things slow down for just a moment ‘On Embrace The Journey’ which brings some heavy heavy riffs into play right before the thrash tempo kicks things up a notch with Leach singing less here and opting for full on screams and growls before hitting our eardrums with another singalong chorus.
There was this little band featuring Jesse & Adam known as Times Of Grace and ‘Quiet Distress’ feels like it cam straight from it. Make no mistake, this is a good thing!
‘The Great Deceit’ has the possibility of being a standout track in an album full of them with its fast melodic double bass filled music.
Things end with a little number called ‘loyalty’ which when the time comes will make the listener feel like it came out of nowhere. It’s heavy, choppy, musicality could have come from a Divine Heresy album all whilst maintaining the Killswitch sound. It’s quite frankly awesome and a fitting conclusion.
There are a whopping 15 tracks on Incarnate for the listener to sink their teeth into. One of the things that rings true on this album and even the previous is how there is a clear chemistry between Jesse & Adam that simply cant be replicated. This album is very reminiscent in places of the amazing side project Times Of Grace as previously mentioned and its marks on the album are very much welcome. Its metal, Its good metal with its own instantly recognisable twinge which will have any unknowing listener saying “This Is Killswitch Engage”.
The band will be touring towards the end of this year with dates announced as lead support for Bullet for My Valentine. Stay tuned for for RAMzine coverage of the shows and be sure to get your tickets.
For more information on the upcoming UK tour, head to www.killswitchengage.com/Tour.
Until then, why not wet your whistle with one of the videos off this new album?
