US band INCITE have been around in one shape or another since 2014, and their current line-up was established in 2012, with vocalist Ritchie Cavalera and guitarist Kevin McAllister remaining of the founding members. “Up in Hell” is their fourth studio album, and was released in 2014 through Graviton Music Services.
Incite is a band that resides firmly and fairly soundly within the metal universe, and then in the thrash oriented parts of it at that. But while they do explore a contemporary variety of that music, it is one with multiple references to the bands I grew up with.
The compositions on this album are all of the short, tight and sweet variety. This isn’t a band eager to showcase their instrumental prowess in ambitious and quirky compositions, but rather thrash metal explored from a go for the throat kind of approach. Superfluous details are hard to find, if at all present, the focus appears to be tight execution and going straight for the goal, so to speak.
What just about all the pieces have in common is the use of tight, often staccato riffs, of the kind that invites to associations to bands like Anthrax and Nuclear Assault. This aspect, alongside the shouted aggressive vocals, does give the music something of a hardcore tinged vibe. Adding depth and scope are occasional use of more intense riff barrages, of the kind that reminds me of a band like Possessed, and adding further scope is the use of melody-oriented surges. In addition most of the tracks does feature a slowdown section, as a separate interlude, as a transitional phase or as a contrasting verse and chorus setup. Underscoring it all are intense drum patterns, and in the more alluring rums fairly elaborate hammering drum firework attacks at that.
While Incite does loose a bit momentum here and there, by and large “Up in Hell” comes across as a solid and well developed production through and through. A step up from their previous disc in my point of view at least, and I regard this album as a solid and entertaining piece of contemporary thrash metal. If you enjoy intense thrash metal with regular breaks to slower paced sections liberally flavored with distinct hardcore oriented details as running features, this is an album you probably should give a spin.
My rating: 76/100
