Band: Incisor
Album: Trendshitter
Genre: Post-Metal
Label: Saw Her Ghost
Tracks:
1. Unnatural Disaster
2. The Grand Inquisitor
3. March of the Skeleton Army
4. Castle Crusher
5. Servant Of The Outer Dark
6. Salted Earth
This was a new genre to me up until last week. Now, I’ve heard and am a fan of post rock, a genre known mostly for Explosions in The Sky or This Will Destroy You, but post metal? I feared from the get go that Incisor’s new EP, Trendshitter, would be nothing more than a series of breakdowns lacking vocals. However, after the first track I knew this was a world unlike anything I’d heard before. Take the depth and precision of your favorite black/dark metal band and add even more technicality and subtract all the lame vocal lines and you’ll have Incisor. This EP isn’t perfect, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find an album that introduces you to this genre in a more welcoming fashion.
I can’t really tear this EP apart because of the genre it finds itself in, but I can make some pro/con statements that sum it up as a whole. To me, this is a genre ready to explode. Most people I know complain most about the vocals in heavy music and this is a world that solves that dilemma. “Unnatural Disaster,” kicks things off with a full throttle, rage inducing plunge into metal. This is the only song on the album to give me the feel of it actually needing vocals it feels a bit formulaic, but you do find yourself jamming along after awhile. However, the last breakdown just begs you to add vocals and they never come. Luckily, “The Grand Inquisitor,” changes up the formula a bit and takes a more technical and intriguing route. The breakdown sections still feel needing of vocals, but I can understand there place as they are item #1 on the metal checklist when creating a song. The track does lose some grip near the end, but to me, this is where the real meat of the disc begins to show itself.
The back four tracks go by like one solid piece of technical metal pie served a la mode. From the opening moments of, “March of The Skeleton Army,” you know whatever is coming will be huge. The album hits its stride in terms of speed and flow and never lets up. “Castle Crusher,” gives us some very solid drumming that I think should be highlighted. The production on the drums feels a bit weak throughout, but here it doesn’t matter whatsoever. As for guitars and bass, look no further than the behemoth that is, “Servant of the Outer Dark.” The riffing just never ends. Incisor knows there roll and doens’t try to go to huge sound wise, but instead keep things tight and flowing. It’s so solid throughout and, “Salted Earth,” only goes to tie it all up in a lovely, yet brutal bow.
As I said, I’m new to the world of post metal, but I will be visiting here a lot more thanks to Incisor. Trendshitter, though flawed, is a very moving album that shows sheer technical skill like few albums to date. The band proves again and again that vocals are not as necessary as society leads us to believe and then drills that idea into our head for a lasting amount of time. If you’ve never been into heavy music, this is something I’d recommend. Same goes for fans of post rock. This is definitely not study music, but its certainly something to put on when you need to get pumped or release some anger by throwing down. Incisor is something special, check them out and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
*Written By: James Shotwell*
Grade: 7/10
- 2015’s Most Underrated Films - December 29, 2015
- Passing The Torch: The End Of An Era For UTG - December 1, 2015
- UTG PREMIERE: Before The Streetlights – “Private Browser” - November 26, 2015