The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams

With this being the 8th studio album from Ingested, I've been looking forward to this release for quite some time now as I've been a big fan of them for a few years. With that said, this album is quite different from the more iconic releases, so this is my honest and unbiased review of "The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams" by Ingested.

Let's begin with the most simple aspect of this release, the songwriting. This album is a nice balance between the heavy and brutal aspects of their classic brutal death sound, infused with a more melodic and sometimes atmospheric modern deathcore influence. Most notably in tracks 5 "Starve the Fire" and 6 Numinous". And while this could be a deal breaker for some, especially fans of the older brutal sound that the band presented within their first few records, the band includes the new style in a way that doesn't feel artificial or forced in any way. And when the music transitions between brutal to melodic, it doesn't feel artificial or forced at all. Actually becoming quite complementary.

With this being Ingested's 8th record, it's obvious that the instrumentals in this album are very well composed and improved from the last we've heard from them. The album consists of the standard slamming chugs, half-time breakdowns, brutal progressions and thick beating sound that is the staple of SBDM (Slamming Brutal Death Metal). However the more melodic, huge atmosphere of their deathcore influence embraces a much more wide and brooding sound throughout many sections of the album. Most notably in track 6, titled "Numinous". Giving the more ambient and melodic tracks a much more enticing and imposing sound to compliment the more simplistic, brutal sections.

The vocals, provided by the vocalist Jason Evans, are pretty good, as to be expected. But while his lows have a very nice guttural to them, and his presence is very solid, I do wish we got more dynamic from his delivery. Low growls and other various noises are fun, however the dynamics of varying vocals that change with the tone of the music create a much more immersive experience. And the vocals on this album, while very good, do feel repetitive at times. But this isn't a deal breaker.

Lyrical content is something that people don't talk about nearly enough. Lyrical content and make or break a listening experience. Poorly-written or otherwise bad or unrelated lyrics can burn the immersion of even the best albums immediately. With that said, this album's lyrical content is alright. It's nothing profound or really all that special in any way, but the lyrics of each track are pretty good. The album's lyrical content strays away from the usual brutal topics of death metal, and mostly stray clear of dark or depressing topics like its deathcore counterpart. With this record opting for a more introspective or optimistic feel to its lyrics. Obviously there are exceptions, such as during track 3, titled "Where No Light Shines", where the lyrics exclaim "No mercy, no forgiveness, Detritus, signs of weakness, No hard feelings, left me reeling, you serious? I can't stop this bleeding....". However for the most part, this albums lyrical content retains a lot of substance. Which is something to be appreciated at least.

While this is much less important to the quality of a good record, the production is something that influences the tone and atmosphere quite a lot for the listener. With that said, the production for this album is really great. The guitar tone is crispy, the drums feel very weighted and thick and the vocals are nice and clear. The atmosphere and ambiance is very wide and feels very natural to listen to. The mixing is very solid and never sounds too thin or too thick. Overall? The quality of the album from a sonic-standpoint is very pleasing. And it's a win in my book.

Speaking of ambiance, the more ambient/melodic parts of this album, while nothing crazy inventive or anything like that, do add a nice flavor to the album. Ingested's usual brutal sound never over-encumbers the album during the more atmospheric sections, nor the other way around. I don't have too much to add to this section. The atmosphere is nice and it compliments the heavier parts of each track.

In any death metal, especially more brutal sub-genres, emotional weight isn't something that's needed. Despite this, it can be a nice complement to your work if you can apply it efficiently. And this album is a mixed bag when it comes to this. As much as I do enjoy deathcore as a genre, one thing that a lot of bands fail to do correctly is apply the emotional weight of their work in a way that makes it work. Often over-utilizing breakdowns and choppy sections of a song to "contrast" the emotion in a way. And while I enjoy breakdowns and progression as much as the next core-kid out there, there is a time and place. And while this album is good about this, there are a few moments where the emotional weight is cut off abruptly. Reverting back into heavy chugs and breakdowns.

Last thing I want to touch on is the overall structure of the record. The transitions from song to song and the overarching sounds of the album flow together well, albeit a bit rough in some sections. But it keeps consistency and retains a great overall sound.

Overall? This is a very solid record. And a great fit for the 8th installment in Ingested's history. While their new sound may not be for everyone, if you're into more melodic sounds? Then you'll enjoy this album. I highly recommend it.