INTO ETERNITY – The Incurable Tragedy

Oops, they did it again… two years ago, the fantastic The Scattering Of Ashes was declared the best Progressive Death Metal album of 2006 by many, and this year Into Eternity fought off any attempts to pull them down from their musical Olympus. Soilwork, In Flames, Scar Symmetry and whoever comes to mind when we talk about this specific musical style have released good, as far as Scar Symmetry is concerned, even great albums, but Canada’s finest have turned quality up just another notch.

With their fifth studio release to date, Into Eternity deviate only slightly from sound and feel of the last two masterpieces, with which they have found their way into the hearts of Metal fans all over the world. Singer Stu Block, the best the band has had so far, is still fronting the band and delivers the same mix of clear vocals and grunts, power and melody which have become a trademark for the band’s sound. The two new members Justin Bender on guitar and Steve Bolognese on drums fit in nicely and replace their predecessors without friction.

Still, The Incurable Tragedy is slightly different from The Scattering Of Ashes, but one has to blame the lyrical concept for that. Band leader Tim Roth lost two of his friends and his father to cancer within only four months of 2006. With that in mind, the album title reveals a much deeper meaning, and the song titles actually tell a story now.

It is logical that this mood had an influence on the song writing as well. There is the title track, divided in three parts of which each one marks the date of the loss of a loved one, which features solely acoustic guitars and is the most obvious difference to their earlier works. But also other songs differ from the all out speed attack one knows and loves from Into Eternity. A greater variety and versatility in song writing makes The Incurable Tragedy at first a bit more difficult to access, but after a few spins it becomes clear that it is a more mature work which represents a considerable sophistication of the band’s style, while maintaining the trademarks of heavy riffing and great melodies. Who does not believe this… should listen to “Diagnosis Terminal”, the best Into Eternity song to date.

One has to search intensively to find something to criticize. In the end one may state that “Tides Of Blood” probably is not the perfect opening track, and “A Black Light Ending” is a bit less good than the other compositions. The short “Symptoms” is a necessity for the story concept, musically it does not have much to offer. And the total playing time of under 40 minutes, which was short already on their last release, is a pity. Well, one just has to listen to it twice then.

To compare the album to known pillars of Metal: The Incurable Tragedy could be described as the synthesis of Death’s Sound Of Perseverance and Dream Theater’s Systematic Chaos. A place in many top ten lists of 2008 is certain. Another point to mention positively is the fine cover artwork which is done again by artist Matthias Noren, although meaning and content is less obvious compared to Scattering, but then again that does fit the overall album concept.