Purveyors of metal that just keeps giving, Incite bring ‘Oppression’ in all its consuming majesty.
Determined to make every recording session count, it’s no surprise their fourth album arrives a whopping 12 years into their storming career. No matter how much your blood boils while listening to ’Oppression’ in the comfort of your own room, there’s nothing that can prepare you for the onslaught of their cacophony in a live setting. Frontman Richie Cavalera may be Max’s adopted son, but the Cavalera genes don’t need a pool to spread their genius – a stage and mic will suffice.
With an epic opening that instantly demonstrates their instrumental prowess, ‘Never Surrender’ is a perfect template of their organised chaos, commanded by Richie’s towering vocals. With instrumental maturity in swathes, ‘Lost Reality’ pits the punishing presence of sticksman Derek Lennon Lopez against the wiles of Sir Riffsalot, Kevin McAllister.
Amid the looming gravel tones of ‘Stagnant’ and the visceral tempo of ‘No Remorse’, Kevin’s talents are outstanding, keenly demonstrating their inherent abilities to hook you in and refuse to let go until justice is best served hot, preferably to the tune of the incendiary ‘Silenced’. The agonising screams that lament ‘Life’s Disease’ and the gut-wrenching terror of being ‘Forced Into Life’ showcase their experience of bringing coherent metal right into your front room – there’s no getting out of this one alive, Richie can guarantee that.
Preceded by ‘Worst Of Me’s anthem to being pushed too far, the demanding tones of ‘I Want It All’ continues such impatient sentiment by stating the obvious – this is “heavy fucking metal” that can easily suffocate and takes sadistic pleasure in doing so.
With beautiful electric interludes to offset their particular brand of pandemonium, Incite are the whole package that never fails to deliver their signature sinister ‘Oppression’.
4/5
’Oppression’ by Incite is out now on Minus Head Records.
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Words by Ali Cooper (@AliZombie_)
