Incassum: Rite Of Passage

While female fronted metal bands have become a rightly ever increasing phenomenon over recent years, it is still a bit of a novelty to hear a melodic death metal band fronted by the growls and clean voice of Sharleen Kennedy. She is a capable, if slightly muted growler, who convinces through the more metallic sections of the debut album Rite Of Passage from the UK's Incassum. This young lady's real strength however comes through her excellently clear, clean vocals, which when layered up, offer an unusually welcome hint of prog in the vein of Coheed & Cambria. However that's not to suggest that you could ever confuse Incassum for being a prog act, even if their attack isn't just heads down and bleeeaaarrgh!

The tag melodic death metal fits Incassum well, with an undoubted old school riff and charge approach being intersected with melodic guitar runs, atmospheric clean vocal sections and more restraint than death usually offers up. Although that in itself doesn't quite mark Rite Of Passage out as an original tour de force - with well used themes and ideas forming the basis for much of what this band offer up. From there it is down to whether Sharleen, the guitar pair of Chris Tayalor and Andrew Snowden, bassist Joe Ratcliffe and drummer John Curran can convince with their ferocity and passion. For the most part they do, but a perfunctory production that deadens the drums and grinds down the guitar attack leaves an uphill struggle. It is however to the credit of Incassum that they do overcome this handicap with riff bristlings and vocal snarlings, leaving the likes of "Born To Tears", "World's Fear" and "Leave It Broken" as threatening assaults with a hint of refinement. While "Walk Alone" plays an altogether more toned down game, combining growls and fret squeals with long sections of clean vocals and guitar. It is a clever counterpoint to the more in your face intentions of the rest of this album and one that actually heightens their intensity.

Rite Of Passage may well be exactly that, proving that Incassum have the know-how, dedication and stamina to use this album as a base from which to go on to mightier things. In the meantime this debut effort does manage to be one of the better melodic death metal albums to vie for your time recently.

Track Listing
1. Cut Loose
2. Redemption
3. Blood Soaked Banner
4. Born To Tears
5. Daemons That Dwell
6. Divine Rites
7. Walk Alone
8. Behold The Day
9. World's Fear
10. Tie My Hands
11. Leave It Broken
12. Forgotten People

Added: December 7th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Incassum Online
Hits: 1973
Language: english

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