ALBUM REVIEW: Built To Destroy – Incite

INCITE waste no time with foreplay or nuanced build up on fifth studio album Built To Destroy, as the characteristic bruising stomp they elicit gets into it’s groove promptly on the opening title-track and doesn’t let up but for guitarist Dru Rome to burst through with a furious solo that lets you know this album is a mission statement for the band. Built To Destroy is a defiant parable of triumph that’s as gargantuan as the colossal beast adorning the album cover.

The fact there are more guitar solos on Built To Destroy than have previously featured on INCITE albums is indicative of the bands aspiration to evolve their sound – plus when you have a talent like that of Rome‘s, it should certainly be allowed to shine. The gloriously colourful solos cranked out at will adds a dimension of personality to the persistent groove typical of the band while also acting to reinvigorate this groove. A dexterous widdling of the guitar that is riveting of itself to the listener serves a greater function to the song for coating the underlying stomp of the track in a freshness that re-greets you as the solo concludes with a ripe malevolence, with crushing intent – with Resistance and Leech also serving as examples of this.

Like the ever-present flamboyance of Rome‘s solos, Built To Destroy has a constant characteristic in the never-faulting double bass pedal of Lennon Lopez that raises the tempo INCITE are working at and compounds the band’s aggression – an aspect commonly associated with the Arizona groove metallers by now. There is a real impulse to the project that’s a beneficiary of the attentive amount of production put in – the result is a fiendish and powerful collection of songs that function individually and gel well together as a cohesive work but also act as a showcase of the talent on display from each member, in their own right.

Two guest spots in the form of Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR) on Human Cancer and Chris Barnes (SIX FEET UNDER) on Poisoned By Power are well placed and lend their talents greatly to Built to Destroy. Charismatic front man Richie Cavalera is a snarling menace from the eerie, stomping arrival at the pummelling start to the abrupt tormenting finish of the project. He adds a real scorn and a hoarse grit to match the bold, spirited nature of the tracks that keep your head banging.

INCITE are cranking maximum torque on their fifth studio album to create a forceful listen that stays on the front foot as belligerently as Lopez hammers down relentlessly on the double bass pedal. This project comes across as a metaphorical flex of the muscles as each track is teetering full of testosterone. The term Built To Destroy not only accurately encapsulates what the album is all about, all out decimation, but also describes the mentality of the bruising groove band as they lay siege upon 2019.

Rating: 7/10

Built To Destroy is out on January 25th via minusHEAD Records.

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