How do the lads from Manchester do it? Most bands need a year off to tour or spend a year or two writing a new record. INGESTED somehow manages to smash out almost one album a year. Showing no signs of slowing down or faltering, the band have once again released another slab of brutality. One that not only lives up to the hype of their last album, Ashes Lie Still but also surpasses it with some interesting change-ups and a few genius guest features.
Going into The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams, the band wanted to up the tempo a little after the devastatingly crushing Ashes Lie Still. It was an album bathed in COVID lockdown creativity and the music reflected this. Not to say that The Tide… isn’t still unfathomably heavy, but you can sense from the first few moments of the opening uppercut from Paragon Of Purity that they’re taking this album to new uplifting heights. When INGESTED uses the word uplifting, they don’t mean it’s all sunshine and rainbows. You’re still getting your arse handed to you but we’re talking about getting in the octagon with prime Ronda Rousey – someone you’d happily take a vicious beating from.
What an opening statement this track is! It’s automatically shot into the band’s top songs with its stank face grooves and AFTER THE BURIAL-like harmonies. It also boasts one of their most hard-hitting breakdowns towards the track’s conclusion.
Paragon Of Purity bleeds effortlessly into Endless Machine which almost feels like a part two before Where No Light Shines comes into play and switches things up with its swaying rhythms and deathly swagger. The bass work on this track is top-drawer and the breakdown once again is filth in its finest form.
From here the tempo picks up with the rolling thunder of Expect To Fail. Here we’re greeted with a guest appearance by SYLOSIS frontman and all-around top chap, Josh Middleton, who lends his now trademark growls to this snarling beast of a track. His voice works perfectly in unison with Jason Evans. Speaking of Evans, his vocals are once again a masterclass in this kind of style. He shows enough uniqueness to his voice that it’s not just another indecipherable death metal growl-fest. We also hear some cleans from him in Starve The Fire. Before you start crying about that, they work well and are used sparingly. The band stated that they would have only added them if the songs called for it and in this case, they would be right on the money. They are reminiscent of CHIMAIRA, which funnily enough is why the next track guest feature is inspired.
Mark Hunter of CHIMAIRA fame lends his chops to album highlight, In Nothingness. After the wonderous instrumental Numinous, the track starts with a fierce demeanour. This is a gym enthusiast’s dream playlist track. It’s heavy, it’s brooding and antagonistic. Psyching you up ready to hit those PBs with the greatest of ease. It’s musical creatine. Anyone mourning the loss of CHIMAIRA from the scene will be in heaven here.
The guitars throughout the album are aggressive and heavy as hell, but there is so much bounce and melody to them. At this point of the album, it would be a big surprise if your neck doesn’t ache from headbanging and you have a massive grin on your face. Anyone expecting there to be a dip in quality after such a strong first half will have to wind their sore necks in after they’re greeted with the sheer devastation of Pantheon.
Jason’s cleans make another appearance on the closing epic, A Path Once Lost. Proving that INGESTED are comfortable coming out of their comfort zone. You’d have thought they had been writing tracks like this their whole career. This is an intriguing conclusion and it’ll be an exciting wait to see where the band goes from here. The mix and production on the whole album is perfect as well. It’s quite crisp as you’d expect from modern death metal/deathcore albums but everything still feels incredibly hefty and helps every instrument pack the desired power of the punch.
Is it a perfect album? Not quite. It’s not game-changing and some of the tracks stay a little too close to the same formula, but The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams is one hell of a fun ride and easily one of the best records released so far in 2024. One that you will go back to over and over whenever you feel like being slapped around a bit. Another enjoyable trip to Slamchester.
Rating: 9/10
The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is set for release on April 5th via Metal Blade Records.
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