Album Review and Interview: Ingested - The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams

CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW WITH INGESTED VOCALIST, JASON AT THE END OF THE ALBUM REVIEW ARTICLE.

UK based technical death metal tyrants Ingested are one of those bands who  release record after record, constantly expanding their creativity and destroying boundaries with each and every release. Yet somehow, every release becomes more ferocious than the last and The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams is absolutely no exception.

"We’re always working on new music behind the scenes. It’s almost as if we are never out of a writing cycle. If the ideas keep flowing, you may as well take full advantage of it."

"Ashes was constructed in the COVID period, and the mood of that album definitely reflects that time. With Tide, we wanted to bring the energy up a bit. As much as we like what we did with Ashes, its depressive tone isn’t something we wanted to continue to explore quite as much. There are definitely some dark moments on Tide, but for the most part, we took a more upbeat approach to the songs this time round."

'Paragon of Purity' opens the record with a vicious punch straight to the jugular and continues to beat you down until there's nothing left. Brutal 'stank-face' breakdowns, chugging guitars and a near constant barrage of blistering blast-beats. Rampant speed and dizzying riffage are the focal point here as the band obliterate everything in their path. 'Endless Machine' does exactly what the name suggests, a charging, muscular brute of a track that bulldozes its way through with absolute devastating power; a battering ram of devastating mid-tempo stomps and flurries of blast-beats. The band have said that the track is about working a dead-end job without any appreciation for years and finally breaking free to pursue something worthwhile. 'Where No Light Shines' begins with eerie synths, creating a haunting atmosphere before an ominous guitar riff and thunderous drums come crashing down. The creepy synths remain in the background as the track ascends with a brutal yet captivating force. Blood-curdling screams and deep demonic growls pursue the cacophonous instrumentation with sheer ferocity and commanding breakdowns.

'Expect to Fail' gallops in to the foray with crushing power and determination. Featuring guest vocals from Josh Middleton of Sylosis, this dynamic track completely rips your face off with thunderous rolling drums and savage riffage. The breakdown in the last quarter of the track is a filthy, devastatingly crushing anvil of sheer force and decimation. 'Starve the Fire' is a brooding, crushing groove stomp filled with rage and sprawling synth elements but it also incorporates clean backing vocals to compliment the ferocious gutterals.'Numinous' offers an instrumental interlude full of spiraling riffs, soaring solos and deafening drums supported by dramatic orchestration and synthy elements. A sprawling soundscape of epic heavy metal magnificence.

'In Nothingness' is another trudging stomp full of pummeling drums and ascending guitars. This track features guest vocals from Chimaira's Mark Hunter and the juxtaposition of brutal gutterals and haunting cleans adds a whole new dynamic to the record. 'Pantheon' takes things right back to straight up, in your face, pure death metal in all it's chugging, bone-crushing, face-smashing glory. 'Kingdoms of Sand' is the penultimate track of the record; a venomous, biting attack to the senses with yet more fiery blast-beats and windmill inducing riffage. Powerfully rasping vocals and frantic intensity carry this track forward with the strength and vigour of a berserker army. The album reaches its conclusion with 'A Path Once Lost' which takes a different direction from the rest of the record. Clean, echoing vocals pierce the void with a moody single guitar riff in the background, gradually building a haunting atmosphere for the first couple of minutes until it explodes in to life with a mix of vicious gutterals and soaring cleans on a backdrop of roaring drums and intense riffage until it fades out with a gentle, rolling tide.

Intense, unforgiving, brutally crushing yet captivating and addictive. A heavy slab of extreme metal expertly polished and punishing. Ingested have produced one hell of an album with The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams that is guaranteed to make devastating waves indeed.

Rating: 9/10
Release Date: April 5th 2024
Released By: Metal Blade Records
FFO: Aborted, Despised Icon, Fit For An Autopsy

Track List

01 - Paragon of Purity
02 - Endless Machine
03 - Where No Light Shines
04 - Expect to Fail (feat. Josh Middleton of Sylosis)
05 - Starve the Fire
06 - Numinous
07 - In Nothingness (feat. Mark Hunter of Chimaira)
08 - Pantheon  
09 - Kingdoms of Sand
10 - A Path Once Lost