Killswitch Engage has always been a very consistent band when it comes to releasing albums, seemingly unable to release a bad one, and Incarnate is no exception to this.
Incarnate feels like the band are a little more ‘comfortable’ on this than their last effort Disarm The Descent, perhaps due to this being their second album with their singer Jesse after he returned to the fold, and although DTD was a great album, Incarnate is on the next level.
Killswitch Engage know how to write an earworm, and there’s plenty of those on this album, with middle track Quiet Distress being one of the strongest thanks to the big chorus backed up with powerful guitars that’s simply asking to be sang along to, and Cut Me Loose is a melodic-yet-punchy track that features one of the most emotive vocal performances of the whole album.
Incarnate ends on a high with Ascension. Perhaps one of the most aggressive tracks on the album, it really helps to make things go out with a bang, but there’s also a good amount of melody added into the mix too. As well as the lush clean vocals from Jesse, the guitars really help to give the track an extra lift with the little melodic riffs thrown in on occasion, and everything just works. A nice touch is how the track fades away to close too, leaving the listener able to absorb and take in everything that’s been presented to them.
As a whole, Incarnate is a great album from a great band – and I look forward to seeing what it will be like in a live environment too.
8/10
