INGESTED

Whether brutal deathcore or just plain brutal death, the UK has been spawning a new breed of young bands these last couple of years that have been blasting and chugging their way out of the underground and into… well… at least a higher part of the underground, sometimes even dwelling just above the surface. Siege of Amida Records, among others, has seen to that. INGESTED's "Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering" is now being delivered via Candlelight to a wider audience and all but the elitists and the worn out should find a good deal to like about it.

More along the lines of traditional brutal death, albeit with more groove and a pinch more track identity/variety, "Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering" is nonetheless modern in its production values and, as you might expect, its down-tuned ways. While there are slivers of deathcore present in said modernity and in the extensive use of chugging breakdowns (though never dipping into deathcore overkill),this is no hardcore band masquerading as a death metal unit. Rather, much of what is heard owes just as much to the likes of SKINLESS and DEVOURMENT due to the tank-division riff/rhythm assault and a considerable slam factor. Songs like "Intercranial Semen Injection" (yeah, I know) and especially "Stillborn" smartly mix 10-ton chug with blast blitzes, while the vocals of Jay Evans capably shift from guttural atrocity to intelligible growls, reinforced with the obligatory screams. "Stillborn", in particular, features a distinct chorus and a rather melodic guitar solo, which could be indicative of a future direction.

Beyond the occasional accent and slight structural twist, "Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering" is agreeable as a skull-crushing BDM record. In other words, it is a respectable representation of the style and the added elements make it that must better. In no way will it convince those with a distaste for the sub-genre to come over to the other side, nor is it cutting edge, but within the confines of the tried and true approach it is convincingly pernicious and written with more than a measure of aptitude.