Review by Carl on October 27, 2024.

"And through all this blood and gore comes ... THE INCINERATOR!!!". That is the way legendary Canadian thrashers Slaughter put it in their classic track "Incinerator", thus handing the subjects of this review their moniker, and you better be sure that they are not hesitant to admit it. Not only has Incinerator's debut full-length track called "Slaughter" on it, it rips off/borrows parts of Slaughter's "Incinerator", in no subtle way. You don't have to be Columbo to figure that one out.

So what does the Dutch Incinerator have on offer for us mere mortals? The answer is old-school as fuck death metal, low on the originality scale, but high on the effectiveness one. The band combines elements of fine folks such as Obituary and Pestilence/Asphyx (vocals) and Slayer (ear-piercing lead guitars), while Dismember, Massacre, and Bolt Thrower have left quite some bloody traces in the riffing and compositions. The majority of the album plows on at a sturdy uptempo pace, making for some excellent headbanging fodder, but the band also cements in some sturdy slower parts, nodding at their fellow countrymen Mourning, Swazafix, and of course Asphyx. The ravenous roaring vocals add an extra vicious layer to the manic metallizations on offer, while the divebomb soloing is for me one of the main attractions here. The chainsaw riffs do not miss their aim, and as a whole, this album is as energetic as a toddler who fell into a tub of Coca-Cola. It's a high-energy sound beating that does not let up until the doomed-out album closer "Swiersettiche Riten" drops the curtain on this chunk of volatile musical violation, finally granting the listener some time to breathe.

This is an awesome slice of death metal old-school style, one with a good helping of thrash metal poured in for an extra punch. Everything clicks here: the production is on point, the band absolutely nails what they are doing, and you just can't beat that familiar feeling hanging over "Stench of Distress". It brings nothing unexpected to the buffet but with a dose of death metal this solid, who cares anyway?

What Incinerator offers up here is basically a run-through of the best episodes from death metal history. From Possessed, Death, and Slaughter to the heroes of the late 80's and early 90's, you'll encounter them all within this excellent slab of old school-isms. Add to this a powerful sound and serious songwriting skills, and you just know that this is the stuff you need to tickle that death metal bone(r) just right.

Rating: 8 out of 10