The Visitor

In my last review, I explained all the reasons to love I.N.C.'s debut record "Razorback". That record was a flawless debut, and they followed it up with their strong sophomore effort "The Visitor" from 1988. This album contains more humor than their last release, so let's dive right in and take a look at this album!

So it begins with "Dry Heave", which starts off with the sounds of god knows what. Then, the killer riffs come in. The guitar work from Tony Fabrizi and Erik Barath on this record is great, but I feel like they took a slight step back. The reason being is because the riffs were so good on "Razorback" that it would prove to be quite difficult to match what they had already accomplished. Dennis Gergely's vocals and bass lines are as good as they were before, his vocals sound great when he signs this particular line...

"Your words and thoughts are equal to a fuckin' drunken Dry Heave!"

The bass is pretty good, it's slightly less audible than "Razorback" but still good. Gary Duguay is the one member who stepped it up the most in my opinion, his drumming is much more intricate and focused. His fills are creative, and he does a good job. Before I mention the songs, I want to say that I feel like the production on this album wasn't as original or unique as it was on "Razorback". The signature guitar crunch of their previous outing sounds less distinctive. It just sounds a little more restrained and dry. I guess the production is a dry heave? Hooray for bad jokes, moving on...

"Bed Time Stories" has a amazing main riff! It's heavy, it's crunchy, and it's badass. This track is one of my favorites on the record, the chorus is especially memorable...

"Helpless minds, controlled emotions,
another kind of brain corrosion.
Technological takes it all
Biological takes control
Loses sleep, dreams of hell.
Another night. Dead brain cells
Life to her seems so gory, come to mommy
It's Bedtime Story!"

"What Are You Looking At?" is the best track here, with a awesome riff and some awesome solos. Gergely's vocals here are some of the best on the album, and his screams are even better! This is another awesome track! "Scammed Again" begins with a rather humorous intro with a audio clip of a phone saying something along the lines of "Sorry, the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected." The riffs are strong, and the vocals are on point. This is one of the best here, I especially recommend this one. The record ends with an odd but rather fitting 2 part cover of The Cars "Just What I Needed/Candy-O". The band go full on thrash near the end, and it is a great way to close out the record.

So even though "Razorback" is better in nearly every department, you can't go wrong with this album either. The riffs are strong here, the solos are killer, the vocals and screams are great, and the drumming is on point. The reason I didn't give this 100% is because the production could use improvement, but it doesn't ruin it so it isn't a big deal. I recommend this to fans of Nuclear Assault, Exodus, Anthrax, and Gothic Slam.

Highlights: "Dry Heave", "Bed Time Stories", "What Are You Looking At?", "Hypo-Dermic Coastline", and "Scammed Again"