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Metalium - Incubus: Chapter Seven

Published February 19 2008


*
=Staff's pick

Trust (Intro)
Resurrection
Gates*
Incubus*
Take Me Higher*
Never Die*
At Armageddon
Sanity*
Meet Your Maker*
Hellfire


Genre Heavy/Power metal
Henning Basse
Vocals
Tracks 10
Tolo Grimalt
Guitar
Runningtime 46 Min.
Matthias Lange
Guitar
Label Massacre Records
Lars Ratz
Bass
Release 22 Feb. 2008
Michael Ehré
Drums
Country Germany
-
Keyboard
Similar artists Primal Fear, Paragon, Mystic Prophecy

After a couple of less inspiring chapters, Metalium took a great step back towards the good old days on the last album Nothing To Undo - Chapter Six. Therefore my expectations once again were almost unreasonably high when Incubus lied on my desk. Like a child on Christmas Eve, to use a popular term, I went to work. Therefore the first impression was almost inevitably a slightest, but still, disappointment. Well, in the area of Nothing To Undo, but not more. But as with all great records, you are not supposed to get it straight away. With every spin the songs took their shape more and more, and the nuances came to their right light.

Trust is a quite pointless intro, a bit too long (of course not Manowar-long, but still 2.21), leading into the typical Metalium-track Resurrection. So far, so good. Gates then breaks some new ground with Henning Basse singing lower than usual in the verse and with an in your face-chorus. I also want to draw attention to Ehré's rhythmic drum work on that one. The title track is a seven minutes long, very dark and heavy masterpiece, where Basse perhaps does his best and most varied vocals ever, with everything from dark growls and evil mumbles to high pitch screams. Take Me Higher is in all aspects a classic Metalium tune, with a high pitch scream as chorus hook. Never Die speeds up the tempo a little bit, power metal with a bit of a rock 'n' roll vain - and a once again a killing chorus.

On the last album we got Straight Into Hell - At Armageddon feels like a continuation on that one, both musically and regarding the lyrics in the chorus: "straight out of hell". Sanity is a bit experimental, not at least (once again) vocal-wise; with a mix of growls, a strange 'drunken' mumble and a whole range of falsettos. Meet Your Maker is Basse screaming on top of his lounges, which works absolutely fine, as long as he varies it with other alternatives, and not as on Demons Of Insanity - all the time. Hellrider is a bit slow and sleepy and the only track that I don't really adore.

The chapter theme - the church - might not be anything revolutionary new these days. Seems like all metal bands with some dignity has to do their "let us criticise organised religion"-album (for yet some is the only theme). I'm quite sure that the criticism is well deserved, historically - especially for mighty, bureaucratic organisations like the Catholic Church - but it's just a bit predictable, and there is not really anything to say on the subject that hasn't been said before.

To sum up - basically, my fears that they are putting out records too fast were answered and falsified. Basse is better than ever. I'm really satisfied to be able to write those words. After his horribly monotonous screams on As One and Demons Of Insanity I had fears that he would go for that style forever. But on Incubus I certainly got the variation and range I asked for and knew he could deliver. Another great chapter in the book of true metal.

See also review of: Hero Nation , As One , Demons Of Insanity

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

8

7

8

9

8

 
Summary



8 chalices of 10 - David


Related links:

www.metalium.de
www.myspace.com/metalium