Ingested, for those who do not know, are a UK based Brutal Death Metal band. Although they are still an underground band, over the years they have developed a die-hard fan base and stirred up a few storms with each new release. Hailed by critics alike, they're a band that only ever gets better with each release. If you want proof, go listen to their 2011 slammer 'The Surreption' before listening to this. From making one of the best Death Metal albums in recent memory back in 2011 to improving on an E.P a few years later is quite the achievement. But for Ingested, it seems like no big deal. Like it was always going to happen. With the we-don't-care attitude they apparently have towards people who try and degrade them and their music, it's clear why more and more people are getting hooked onto one of the scene's best bands.
Starting off this brutal, four track assault is 'Titanomachy'. This is straight up, no-holds-barred brutality, that flows so freely. If you know the band then you can hear a change in production quality. The drumming is tighter, even more intense, the guitars slam harder than a brick to the face and the bass is so damn heavy that your jaw dropping would be the least of your worries. However, the biggest change is the vocals. They're firmer and more ferocious. They were pretty astonishing on 'The Surreption' but they've improved further here. The highs are more solid and have improved so much more, the lows are even lower and more terrifying than Satan himself and the range has improved even more. This is a sign of great things to come and shows that the band are serious about what they do and try to impress upon each bit of new material they release. And damn, they do just that. Next up is 'Regicide', a song that flows so smoothly after the first track that you hardly notice that it is the second track from this four track affair. This song slams harder than the first, somehow being even faster and more technical than before. It's down right amazing to listen and will get you tearing around your room like a cat on catnip in no time. Then, next thing you know, 'Uncrowned' begins with blast beats, fast riffing and one kick ass "EUGH!".
From that point on, the track only ever slows down to produce some seriously devastating riffs. Not to mention the breakdown part that feels like they just started to sand your face off. This is brutal riffs and blast beats galore, giving the drummer and guitarists a seriously intense workout. If you're still somehow breathing after this track then brace yourselves for the closing track. 'Endgame' was the first song they released for the album and it's... well, it's impressive. It has some unique drumming patterns in it to kinda deviate away from straight up blast beats and double bass pedals. And then there is the one part where it slows down to produce bone-crunching riffage, the likes in which are hard to find. The track ends as soon as it began, finishing one of the most brutal pieces of work in 2013.
It's impressive and an even bigger step forward for the band. If you're a fan of bands such as Aborted, Abominable Putridity and Amputated then this is a band you NEED to check out. They really are now 'Surpassing The Boundaries Of Human Suffering', pounding you into dust with every second of this brutal E.P. This has become by far one of my most loved releases of 2013, with only Strychnia being the other Death Metal band to surpass them with excellent Death Metal releases, saying something seeming as greats such as Gorguts, Vulvectomy and Death Metal big hitters Suffocation all released material within that same year. Yep, this is damn huge and I demand that if you like heavy, brutal and fast Metal than you need to go pick up a copy of this. Who knows what they'll release next but, whatever it may be, I'm most certainly going to pick it up. This is just... magnificent. Ingested, I think you're going places.
10/10
- Asa