By Monk
There is a very clever, but by equal measures simple, trick to producing quality thrash metal, and that is the ability to mesh its many different elements – speed combined with technicality, aggression with melody, brutality with subtlety – into one cohesive whole. It is an ability which many bands possess, but even more do not. We are fortunate that, in this particular corner of the Überverse known as the Über Kingdom, many more acts possess the ability to achieve this target than fail… with Incinery being a prime exemplar, as they more than ably demonstrate on this, their impactful – nay, incendiary (sic) – and long-overdue (well, it has been six years since their hugely impressive debut offering) second album…
Right from the opening swell of (nominal) title track ‘Hollow Earth’, these five Midlands monsters make it extremely clear that they mean business, delivering the goods with far more efficiency than Amazon, DPD and the Royal Mail combined. The twin guitars of Jason Chaikeawrung and Chris Kenny intertwine like two hypnotized snakes coiling and uncoiling around each other, underlaid by the percussive beatdown of Ste Dudley, who also exemplifies one of those qualities that I admire most in a drummer: the recognition that less more often is more, as it the gaps he leaves, rather than the needless fills, that accentuate the underlying power of not only his own performance but that of the band as a collective entity. And Dudley has the perfect companion, and counterfoil, in David Jordan, whose bass work is as solid as 40 tonnes of reinforced concrete, yet possessed of that all-important subtlety which emerges the more you immerse yourself in its grooves.
Upfront, vocalist James Rawlings snaps and snarls like a cornered wolf with the taste of fresh blood on its fangs. But, he’s also possessed with a clarity of purpose which comes across in the cleanliness of his delivery, as he resists the temptation to resort to the unnecessary growling which not only characterizes but denigrates so many other acts within the modern thrash genre: this is not death metal, where the vocals are merely another instrument, downtuned to matched the guitars; no, this is thrash, where, yes, the voice is another instrument, but one which needs to be utilized in a different way, and Rawlings is a stalwart lesson to this effect.
Another aspect of the thrash genre which galls me personally is how bands seem to split themselves into two camps – the “we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way, regardless of modern tastes” and the “we’re going to get all progressive on your asses, cramming in as many notes as possible into as short a timeframe as possible”. To me, the trick with modern thrash, especially if it wants to remain fresh and relevant – and, at the same time, move forward to the next stage of its evolution – is that it needs to understand how to cross between those camps and amalgamate the best elements of both. Incinery are one of the bands who understand this need, and feed on it, with moments of sheer, neck-breaking intensity sitting comfortably alongside ones which stop you mid-bang and go “WTAF was that?”.
Despite all the other problems which 2020 has brought with it, it has been a great year for the British thrash movement, and ‘Hollow Earth Theory’ is an essential addition to the playlist of every self-respecting thrasher, no matter what part of the Uberverse in which you nod your noggin and raise your horns…
- ‘Hollow Earth Theory’ is out now. You can get your copy, and loads of other Incinery goodies, HERE.
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