INCRAVE – Dead End

In 2006, a Metal band from Edsbyn, Sweden, called Evergrace released their self-titled debut album. The album got some good notices from various Metal critics and the six-man group won a respectable number of fans, thanks to a lot of touring around their native country and surrounding areas.

Jump ahead to 2007: Evergrace has changed their name to Incrave and re-released the debut disc, albeit with a different name (The Escape).

This brings us to the present and the new Incrave album, the 10-song Dead End. With this release, the youthful Incrave look to make further inroads on their quest for Heavy Metal glory.

Incrave plays a proven style of Melodic Power Metal on Dead End that has worked for lots of bands over the years: a fair degree of power, lots of catchy riffs, memorable vocal melodies, an upbeat tempo, good use – but not overuse – of keyboards, and a bit of rough-edged production to take the sheen off. While there aren’t tons of finger-shredding solos from guitarists Jon Davidsson and and David Ohlsson, the ones that are there are well-executed. Lead singer Johan Falk has a good voice with a fair degree of power, although he doesn’t have a lot of range, at least not yet. Still, his singing fits the style of the music pretty well.

Dead End moves along at a quick pace, with no slow spots (or ballads). The songs, while not that original style-wise, are still well-performed and enjoyable, with enough power, enthusiasm, and energy to keep listeners entertained throughout the album’s 43-minute playing time. While no tune here is an instant classic, there are enough good ones, like “Shattered,” “A Shadow In the Dark,” “The Touch of Death,” “Shades of Me” (very nearly a ballad, but not quite) and “Scream In Silence” vying for your attention, and in most cases, winning it.

Incrave shows no signs of a sophomore slump with Dead End, and prove themselves to be a band worth keeping an eye on.