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Incrave: Dead End

With a sound leaning towards straight ahead power metal, these young newcomers from Sweden, Incrave have the necessary ingredients firmly in place, and seem poised to assume their place alongside the elite bands of the genre. The band which was formed in 2007 released their debut album The Escape that same year under the moniker of Evergrace before eventually changing their name to Incrave in time for its eventual re-release.

Dead End features ten extremely well crafted (but not too polished) mid tempo rockers that serve up an abundance of heavy, melodic riffs, which are sure to get lodged in your sub-conscious. The twin attack of David Ohlsson and Jon Balefalk forgoes the typical, cram the solo down your throat approach, opting instead to concentrate their efforts on creating a series of ultimate hooks and melodies. Keyboardist Jonathan Stenberg takes the same approach, preferring to remain slightly in the background, stepping forward only to apply his subtle textures when the song calls for it. Vocalist Johan Falk's technique suits the music here perfectly, and his powerful delivery had me drawing comparisons to Johnny Goeli at times.

Incrave are still a relatively young band, with their average age being somewhere in the early twenties, yet Dead End comes off as a very mature sounding album. While not entirely original, it's neither formulaic nor repetitive either. Fans of melodic power metal should do themselves a favor and investigate this exciting and talented young band, because Dead End has quite a lot going for it in the end.

Track Listing
1) Shattered
2) The Forgotten
3) A Shadow In The Dark
4) The Touch Of Death
5) Unveil The Truth
6) Shades Of Me
7) An Empty Soul
8) Scream In Silence
9) Nevermore
10) Dead End

Added: July 29th 2008
Reviewer: Ryan Sparks
Score:
Related Link: Ulterium Records
Hits: 3049
Language: english

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Incrave: Dead End
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2008-07-29 08:55:50
My Score:

Don't be fooled by the clean shaven, close cropped hair cuts, and snazzy suits that the members of Incrave are wearing on the CD booklet of their new release Dead End. This Swedish progressive/power metal band know how to dish out the goods, pumping out ten tracks here of riff heavy, melodic thumpers that show a somewhat veteran presence considering the guys are all in their early 20's. Lead singer Johan Falk has a powerful voice, though at times his range is somewhat limited, and reminds me of a cross between Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ring of Fire, Royal Hunt) and the singer from 80's pop metallers Firehouse. It's the big, beefy guitar riffs from Jon Balefalk & David Ohlsson that really steal the show here, as the duo crank out massive power chord after power chord on tracks like "The Touch of Death", "The Forgotten", and "A Shadow in the Dark". Keyboard player Jonathan Stenberg drops in some nice atmospheric synth patches here and there, which adds a nice element and almost helps these dark metal songs approach Evergrey territory on occasion. Best cut though is the crunchy prog-metal tune "An Empty Soul", which puts all these elements together quite will, featuring some great melodies, gorgeous keys, and huge, complex riffs.

Dead End is a solid release, and shows that Incrave have plenty of talent. I think their next release will really be something to watch out for. If they take the formula that they have produced here, maybe throw in some more instrumental passages, we could be in store for something really special.

Incrave: Dead End
Posted by Michael Popke, SoT Staff Writer on 2008-06-20 11:21:59
My Score:

Promotional photographs featuring members of the Swedish band Incrave show six well-groomed young men wearing white shirts and ties, looking fresh for another day at the office. Which is why it may come as a shock that these guys called their second album something as blunt as Dead End and loaded it with songs titled "Shattered," "The Touch of Death," "An Empty Soul" and "Scream in Silence." Yet, those four tracks are among the strongest on an album that defies stereotypes.

Released internationally by Ulterium Records (the same label that brought us the Evergrey/Symphony X-leaning Darkwater) and picked up for the U.S. market by Lance King's Nightmare Records, Dead End features a winged, gas-mask-clad avenger (or is it an angel?) clutching a human skull on the cover and 10 rather dark but still surprisingly upbeat tunes inside with big choruses that echo Tad Morose, Nocturnal Rites, Helloween and even Dream Evil. But thanks to lead singer Johan Falk's limited — yet clean and powerful — voice, there's not much dimension to these mostly mid-tempo songs.

Nevertheless, the well-dressed members of Incrave do what they do extremely well — especially for a band in which the members' average age is 22. Hopefully, these guys have not prophesied their own demise by titling this disc Dead End.




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