Ingested – The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams
Reviewed by: Jon Santitoro
Review score: 8.5
The UK has been sacred ground for extreme music since the birth of heavy metal in the 1970’s. From the humble beginnings of Black Sabbath, to BBC Radio host John Peel and the rise of Earache Records, the intertwined history of the British Isles and metal is long and epic.
Looking to carve their name into England’s hallowed metal history, Manchester’s Ingested have come crashing into ’24 with their latest release, The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams. This impressive new album is well written and well produced; showcasing Ingested‘s powerful and precise approach to death metal that includes punishing grooves, subtle melodic accents and restrained use of clean vocals.
The opening track, ‘Paragon of Purity’, is a tight onslaught of savage guitar work and machine gun drumming, guaranteed to raise pulses. It’s a well-crafted opener that is perfectly placed here because it offers no hint at the varied sonic layers to come later in the album.
‘Endless Machine’ is a groove-laden bludgeoner which will be an excellent choice for the band’s live set. This one will be a definite crowd pleaser, and will no doubt have fans moshing like crazy. This track is tailor made for the pit.
The third track, ‘Where No Light Shines’, is the standout of the album; featuring brilliantly written and well-layered guitar work that captures the listener’s attention immediately. The riffs on this one are expectedly tight, and the breakdowns are heavy. This could be another one that translates really well to the live set. A true masterpiece.
‘Starve the Fire’ is an interesting track highlighted by it’s off-tempo riffing and subtle use of clean vocals. It’s unusual vibe provides an unexpected listening experience mid-way through the album.
A personal favorite is ‘Numinous’; an atmospheric instrumental piece reminiscent of 90’s era death metal when every band featured at least one instrumental on every album. The use of keyboards in the background give this track a “melo-death” feel, not unlike the Gothenburg bands of the mid to late 90’s.
‘Pantheon’ is another “made-for-the-pit” crusher, featuring a colossal breakdown in the NYDM/NYCHC vein. This one will undoubtedly have the listener stomping about the house and breaking things… which could prove problematic if they’re your things.
‘Kingdoms of Sand’ is another standout with great riffing, while ‘A Path Once Lost’ is an atmospheric closer which features clean vocals throughout, and an almost Industrial vibe to it.
Overall, The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is a rock solid effort that is absolutely worthy of the UK’s legacy of great metal, and the members of Ingested should be extremely proud of the effort they’ve put into this album.
The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams is set to be released April 5, 2024 via Metal Blade Records.
Pre-Order Here.