British Death Metal Legends Ingested are set to release The Surreption II, a reimagined re-recording of their vital second album, The Surreption, to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Ingested – The Surreption II (Unique Leader)
Release Date: 30 July 2021
Words: Jools Green
Regarding the release, vocalist Jason Evans said, “As some of you may know, the 10th anniversary of our second album The Surreption is fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate than to unleash this beast upon the world once more?
“That’s right, we have been holed up in the Ingested lockdown bunker hard at work to bring you our second album the way we always wanted it to be. This is not a remix or a remaster. This is a complete re-recording, a reimagining of an important but often forgotten step in the path of Ingested.
“We never got to do a music video for the original release of The Surreption, and we think that’s a shame, so feast your eyes and ears on our video for Manifesting Obscenity,” below.
Commenting on why they chose to re-record the album, the band said, “We always felt that the songs on The Surreption were great, but there was just something not right about the sound. It just kind of sounded small, and there were some performances on songs we weren’t happy with.
“So, we needed to make everything bigger and better, and we feel that we’ve really achieved something special here.”
Once again, production, drum tracking, mixing and mastering were handled by Nico Beninato of Kimera Recordings in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Beninato also worked with Ingested on their past three releases, Stinking Cesspool Of Liquefied Human Remnants [2021], Where Only Gods May Tread [2020] and Call Of The Void [2019]. As a sign of our modern Covid times, the guitars and vocals were tracked at home, with Nico overseeing via Zoom call.
The band had never recorded an album over Zoom before but felt it was a “really odd but awesome experience.”
The ten-track, forty-five minute, The Surreption II, is a blisteringly good listen. The original, a good album, was unfairly criticised by some who, after the flesh searing debut Surpassing The Boundaries Of Human Suffering, did not understand how Ingested were developing their sound.
But those critics can eat their words with this reimagined version. They have thrown ten years of thought and experience at it, and I defy anyone to find fault.
I think it’s superb, brutal as hell with just enough slams, but also with a silky flow that defies logic, all the more impressive given the conditions under which it was forced to be recorded.
Aggressive riffs
Opening on the aggressive, Crowning The Abomination, delivering a mass of hypnotic spiralling aggressive riffs and thunderous growls, insane direction switches. Then Decline, which is savage yet groovy, has a catchy quality to the punchier riffs too, and the growls just slide their way through the midst of it all.
The Consequence once again features the vocal talents of Alex Erian of Despised Icon, adding to the hardcore vibe that surfaces in places, a great track that packs a massive punch.
I love the engaging meld of drum work and chugging riffs on A Coming Unperceived and This Disgusting Revelation, storms towards you from a distance, delivering punch, groove and lyrics that raise a wry smile and are delivered in two voices, a deep growl and a higher acerbic hiss. It is dark, and technical, and the pace and direction is chaotically unpredictable. I love the dark haunting lead burst towards the close, possibly my favourite track, but it is a close call.
Castigation And Rebirth is an utterly bonkers assault on the senses. Complex, technical and utterly unpredictable but also superbly phrased and punctuated, giving it an engagingly addictive quality.
Manifesting Obscenity is a chunky but dynamic brute of a track, but the wave of subtle symphonics in the second half elevate it to a whole new level of excellence.
Savagely brutal edge
22 starts as one of those nauseous gut-punch tracks but builds into something that has a touch of groove and melody but still maintains its savagely brutal edge, whereas Kingmaker is a spiralling brutish chunk of technical excellence with a decidedly hypnotic edge and the drum work really impacts.
Final offering, The Alpha And Omega, were two separate tracks with Omega as an instrumental on the first version, but this time it’s been melded into one ten and a half minute monster track. The first half a drum fuelled technical assault on the senses with twin layered vocals, the second a brutal chugger of an instrumental that gradually develops a more atmospheric, subtly symphonic and melodic side, but holds onto that brutal chug, with the drum work emerging to a greater prominence towards the close.
A deceptively brilliant and powerful piece and a great way to make an impactful end to the album.
The original artwork has also had a make-over by the original artist Colin Marks, re-created to fit their reimagined version of the album.
A release that is definitely worth your attention, it is face searingly good.
Pre-order The Surreption II at orcd.co/thesurreption
02 November 2021 Germany Cologne – Club Volta
03 November 2021 The Netherlands Eindhoven – Dynamo
04 November 2021 The Netherlands Nijmegen – Doornroosje
05 November 2021 Denmark Copenhagen – Vega
06 November 2021 Germany Hamburg – Logo
07 November 2021 Germany Berlin – Hole 44
08 November 2021 Czech Republic Prague – Strahov 007
09 November 2021 Poland Warsaw – Hydrozagadka
10 November 2021 Austria Vienna – Arena
11 November 2021 Hungary Budapest – Dürer Kert
12 November 2021 Germany Karlsruhe – Die Stadtmitte
15 November 2021 Germany Munich – Feierwerk
16 November 2021 Switzerland Aarau – KiFF
18 November 2021 Spain Madrid – Caracol
19 November 2021 Spain Barcelona – Bódeva
21 November 2021 France Lyon – Warmaudio
22 November 2021 France Paris – Le Backstage
