Formed in Manchester in the late 2000s, Ingested first made their name for a slam death metal of extreme heaviness, before gradually widening their scope toward a broader, more varied deathcore. The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams, hailed by the critics (an 80 average across six reviews), marks a new stage in this evolution toward maturity.
What the press retain is the balance struck between the original savagery and a more polished writing. The band have lost none of their striking power — devastating breakdowns, abyssal growls, pounded riffs — but they now add melodies, atmospheric passages, a few clean vocals that air out the whole and give it relief.
Musically, the massive, clinical production showcases the precision of a band well-drilled in the exercise. The tracks alternate frontal assault with more melodic breathing spaces, in an effective dramaturgy that avoids the fatigue of all-out brutality. Ingested have understood that heaviness gains from being contrasted.
The record does not, however, upend the codes of deathcore: the genre’s recipes are applied with certain know-how, but without the daring that would tip the whole toward greatness. We remain in excellence of execution more than in invention.
Verdict: 8/10. A solid, powerful, well-built record confirming Ingested among the safe bets of British deathcore. Effective, without being overwhelming.
