Ingested "Paragon of Purity" from the album "The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams"

The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams

Ingested "Paragon of Purity"

Ingested "Pantheon" from the album "The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams"

Ingested "Pantheon"

Welcome back to the Metal Debate podcast, breaking down the new release from British metallers Ingested titled The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams.

The album begins with “Paragon Of Purity.” This song is exceptionally tight and focused, with the band unleashing a healthy helping of slam riffs, but also an outstanding reoccurring melodic guitar lead which, two-thirds of the way through, morphs into an intense solo. The song closes in violent fashion with a rolling breakdown and vocalist Evans exploding in a cascade of demonic spit-growling. Track two, “Endless Machine,” is a mid-tempo number in the classic slam vein, although it wanders toward tech death territory as it progresses. 

“Where No Light Shines” has an eerie synth overlay that creates a simple but effective basis for the song’s melody, with the guitar later replicating the synth. It’s a great example of how to seamlessly integrate the death and slam approach. I absolutely love the atmosphere that’s created - just smart, considered songwriting. Probably my fav track on the album. Next up we hear the brutal harmonization of “Starve The Fire.” Evans pulls out nearly every vocal tool in his arsenal, with growls, screams, vocal fry, pig squeals, and rock singing. Guitarist Sean Hynes stays in a support role on this one laying a heavy foundation on guitar with mostly slam riffs and eschewing any lead break. Unfortunately, and despite some memorable lyrics and melody, “Starve The Fire” didn’t seem to be building to anything as an overall composition, and then it just kind of ended awkwardly. On “Expect To Fail” we have plenty of brutality but also the addition of clean vocals performed by Josh Middleton of Sylosis. It’s another mid-paced track, with Jeffs occasionally revving the engine, but mostly the band taking a moderate, meandering approach throughout.

Mid-way through this ten-track album comes a twist with an instrumental number called “Numinous.”  This one is splendid with gorgeous melodic lead and outstanding backing orchestration. When I first heard this, I thought I had inadvertently started playing some Insomnium, because you get a lot of the same ambience here. In truth, there are hints of that melodic death vibe – albeit with different riffing style – throughout The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams. Track seven is “In Nothingness,” a fairly straight-ahead composition, mid-paced, with another guest vocal appearance, this time from Mark Hunter of northern Ohio groove-core act Chimaira. The pairing is an interesting one – not what I would have anticipated – and while there is some appeal to the versing structure, the differential created between singers didn't quite work for me.

The energy gets kicked up a notch on “Pantheon” with more slam riffs and pig squeals if you are in the mood for ‘em, as well as classic breakdowns toward the end. Yet still, if you listen carefully, there’s some melodic elements below the surface, and even a bit of catchiness in the versing. Nothing commercial in any sense, but definitely catchy.

Equal in brutality to any other track on the album, but also with a quasi-epic metal feel to it - is “Kingdoms Of Sand.” Somewhat tech-deathy in its precision, at this point you’ll have to have come to appreciate the sophistication of Hynes as a guitarist and composer. The album’s closer “A Path Once Lost” spends its first few stanzas with undistorted guitar and emotive, melancholic singing from Evans. Further in we get some overlapping cleans and growls. The contrast in sound was great, but the lyrical pacing seemed off. A decent track overall, but not among the strongest in my opinion.

This album is excellent, although admittedly there were a few tracks that didn’t quite resonate for me. I’m giving The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams a strong 8 out of ten rating. You can purchase the album digitally and in a variety of physical formats through metalblade.com or wherever you buy music.

The Great Metal Debate

Metal Debate Album Review - The Tide Of Death And Fractured Dreams (Ingested)

Metal Blade Records history by Dan Slessor:
Founded upon owner Brian Slagel's enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalogue, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it strides into its fourth decade.

What perhaps makes this achievement all the more notable is the fact that Slagel never even intended to start a label. Working in an LA record store and writing for various publications, Slagel was acutely aware that many great bands in the local metal scene were being ignored, and he decided to release a compilation of tracks drawn from these ranks. "There were a lot of really good bands and I was just bummed out that nobody could hear them. It just seemed like I could help them out and have some fun at the same time, and that compilation was the first Metal Massacre," he states. Collating tracks from then unknown bands including Ratt, Bitch, Cirith Ungol, and Metallica amongst others, the compilation sold out immediately. "How important is Metal Blade to our career? They're only the reason we are enjoying the worldwide success we have today," states Metallica's James Hetfield. "Without Brian's openness to some raunchy teens with a crap sounding cassette tape we would be who knows where, and playing who knows what!" With the popularity of the tape spurring Slagel on, the first seeds of Metal Blade were sown. "After the success of those compilations I just started putting out records of bands that I was friends with, but without ever really intending it to be a label at all," he explains. "After I put out four or five releases I started to feel like something was happening, and I decided to quit the record store and quit college and see where it went."

Battling through the first few lean years, when the label consisted solely of Slagel working out of his mom's poorly ventilated garage in the San Fernando Valley, it gradually grew in both revenue and stature. Within a few years Metal Blade would go on to release the debuts of Slayer, Armored Saint, Trouble, and Corrosion Of Conformity amongst others, fanning the flames of the burgeoning metal scene and launching careers of bands that would go onto reap global success. "Without Metal Blade, there is a damn good chance we never would've made it out of L.A," says Slayer's Kerry King. "That was the one bit of luck we needed. You can be the most awesome band on the scene, and if no one notices you, you don't catch on. And Brian Slagel is still one of the biggest metalheads I know!" This genuine love and devotion to metal is central to the relationship many of the artists have with Metal Blade, and King Diamond credits much of its relevance and strength to this passion. "I refer to it as having 'boots on the ground'," the mighty Dane states. "It's not like a major label where some people might be into what you're doing but a lot of them just see it as a job – there's a genuine love for metal there. Through staying true to that and doing their own thing they've carved out a very specific niche that they control, and as an artist it's wonderful to be a part of that."over the years. Clearly without those people we couldn't do what we do, and to everyone out there who has helped us along by being a fan we are so very grateful to you."

Read more: http://www.metalblade.com/us/about-us/

Podcast where Gomthog and co-hosts engage in lively debates on heavy metal music as well as interviewing artists and reviewing albums.  Occasional explicit language.

New tracks tagged #The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams