Writers have a great advantage from simple listeners: as they have to deal with different music from their personal tastes, they have open minds to new musical works. Yes, because they’re always dealing with things that are equal to what they already known (but sometimes with surprising personal works) or then something different from the usual. And on Death Metal, since the Second Wave of the 90s, more and more the limits are being expanded, and mixing between subgenres into Death Metal are being done. And on “The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams”, the eighth full-length of the UK trio INGESTED is a sample of mixed influences.

Nico Beninato worked on the production (as well as sound engineer for drums, guitars, and vocals, as did the additional synth parts and he is a part of the team since 2019’s EP “Call of the Void”), with Christian Donaldson (the guitarist of CRYPTOPSY and known producer/sound engineer) on the mixing and mastering, with Dominic Grimard making the engineering of bass (maybe this is the reason for him to be paying as session bassist on the album). All to create a solid, brutal and oppressive sonority that is concomitant with Death Metal models, but in a way that is simple to understand what the trio is expressing (a real fine work, indeed). And the creation of the disturbing and beautiful artwork was done by David Seidman (with layout of Brian James). And as guests, here are Josh Middleton (of SYLOSYS) on the vocals on “Expect to Fail”, and Mark Hunter (of CHIMAIRA) on the vocals on “In Nothingness”.

The trio works on a mix between influences of Death Metal, Slam Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore (the reason that their music has a modern touch on its expression sometimes). It is a hard work for some fans of older and classic ways to deal with, but for those who are into different expressions it is a pleasure. But don’t get the wrong idea: it’s brutal and fierce to the very bones, with an excellent technical insight and creative as well.

Their music has that British Death Metal DNA (a feature that only used fans can understand) and such album is full of excellent moments, as heard on “Paragon of Purity” (many Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore moments can be heard contrasting with classic Death Metal elements, and what great guitar riffs and arrangements), “Endless Machine” (wow, what great blast beats from the drums can be heard, and double bass parts as well), “Where No Light Shines” (here a strong scent of groove can be felt on the rhythms, but with excellent contrasts between the vocals tunes), “Expect to Fail” (again very good contrasts between the vocals can be heard, but with many extreme hooks), “In Nothingness” (the modern side of the band’s music becomes evident, with excellent haunting clean vocals appearing in some moments), the oppressive “Pantheon” and “A Path Once Lost” (fine Progressive clean vocals). This set is fine for beginning with, but the entire album is amazing.

If it is valid the idea that ‘who dares, wins’, INGESTED is a natural-born winner. Taste “The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams” to understand such words.