ALBUM REVIEW: Wake Up Dead – Incite
There’s an unwritten rule in metal that second-generation bands don’t tend to get anywhere. Various members of BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN have seen their offspring try their hand at music only to fall at the starting blocks. Richie Cavalera of INCITE however might be the exception that proves the rule. He’s the stepson of the legendary Max Cavalera, and while INCITE aren’t exactly household names, they’ve quietly built a decent career over the past decade and a half. They’ve got five full-length albums and some impressive tours under their belt. He hasn’t escaped his famous stepdad’s massive shadow, but has carved out a niche as an accomplished frontman in his own right.
Shame then, that INCITE aren’t a better band. There’s nothing wrong with Wake Up Dead, it’s just a bit unremarkable. The four-piece write straight-to-the-point groove metal, akin to a less-tribal version of SOULFLY. There’s a punkier edge to them and Richie has more of a hardcore bark than Max’s deep-throated roar, but the comparisons are inevitable. This is knuckle-headed pit-fodder and it does provide a primal instant-fix, but once the sugar-rush wears off there’s not much else.
Long-time supporters may also be disappointed to find this isn’t a fully-fledged sixth album. INCITE have recently changed record labels, and while the first half of the record is new material, the second is all re-recordings of older tracks. There is some decent stuff on here, but if you’ve been with them since day one you may feel short-changed.
Of the newer cuts, War Soup is the most notable, purely because Max turns up for his first guest spot with the band. They’ve shown remarkable restraint waiting this long to get the incredibly famous family member on board and it’s undeniably cool hearing two generations of Cavaleras on the same song. The opening title track is an enjoyable introduction too; it’s a fast-paced headbutt of a song, sprinting to the chorus as quickly as possible and getting the job done.
They’ve also got the incredibly stupid but weirdly endearing Deadbeat to display. It’s three and a half minutes of antisocial ranting set to music and is ridiculously moronic, but kinda fun too. Mental Destruction isn’t bad either; it’s not breaking any new ground but it is catchy and fast. In the second half, Built To Destroy is still a stomping gut-puncher, but Fallen is arguably the highlight. It’s faster, heavier and bleaker, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if they wrote it after binging on the last four AT THE GATES albums before hitting the studio. It’s got a similar desperate aggression to it, only applied to a groove metal template instead of a death metal one.
While Wake Up Dead has its share of moments though, it’s hard to imagine INCITE ever becoming more than a support band. When they’re good, they’re a perfectly capable and entertaining bunch of headbangers. Too often though, they come across like a local band who once lucked out and opened for MACHINE HEAD and haven’t stopped talking about it since. It’s great that Richie has managed to make a career out of this and no doubt they’ll continue to get decent festival appearances and tours in the future. INCITE are unlikely to be many people’s favourite band though and they can’t help coming across like the appetiser before the main course.
Rating: 5/10
Wake Up Dead is set for release on March 25th via Atomic Fire Records.
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