Incarnate “Embrace the Horror” CD

"Embrace the Horror" is the debut full-length release from Dutch metalcore act Incarnate (on Demons Run Amok Entertainment), and the band seems to have beefed up and branched out a bit since the days of their first EP, "A Dark Age of Lies". Expect super burly vocals over dense, chugging guitars and throbbing bass with a good amount of tempo changes—from crushing midpaced breakdowns to some of that H8000 sounding tremolo picking. There's definitely a pretty significant metal influence happening, with bits and pieces borrowed from both thrash and death metal, but most of those influences tend to come through that 90's European metalcore filter, with an over the top kind of Arkangel edge, and maybe a little All Out War thrown in as far as similarities to any American bands from that particular niche. Where Incarnate succeeds, however, is that they keep things moving. The album's a consistent whole, but it's not a one-sided listen, and with 10 tracks in a little over a half-hour they tend to trim the fat and keep pushing forward, so there's a certain sense of energy and focus that a lot of these bands lack. The performances are also fairly solid, the recording's nice and crisp (Sweet acoustic instrumental in "Marching Into..."!), etc. There's still room for improvement here and there (the guitar solos are actually pretty fuckin' cool, I'd like to hear 'em a bit more often, really), but things are coming along nicely for these guys, and they're honing in on an aptly fierce sound that's rooted in the glory days of Europe's metallic hardcore scene.

Incarnate "Abandoned"

I'm not seeing this one around in US distros yet, but you can try to contact the band and/or label at the links above for more information on that, and I bet you can probably pick up copies from the band for a reasonable rate and get them within a fair amount of time, too.

Get It

Demons Run Amok Entertainment
Filled With Hate