by Seamus Fitzpatrick
Incite’s Savage New Times arrives from a veteran thrash metal act carved out of two decades of endurance, setbacks, and sheer stubborn energy. Where earlier albums leaned on immediacy, this record has the sound that comes from the culmination of lessons absorbed on the road. The ten songs have a narrative forged through attrition, now rendered into riff and roar.
The album’s opening salvo, “Lies,” gives the blunt-force riffing that embodies the modern condition the band rails against, commenting on a culture of deceit normalized into wallpaper. Frontman Richie Cavalera delivers his vocal lines with a venom sharpened by survival. The compelling cohesion underneath comes from drummer Lennon Lopez snapping drumming with iron pressure, bassist Christopher “EL” gnawing into every downbeat, and guitarist Layne Richardson slicing through with snarling meticulousness.
“Doubts and the Fear” is the record’s psychological manifesto, supported by thrash metal’s externalized fury turning inward for a moment. Incite stretches the runway within the form, letting tension accrue in measured layers, and when the drop arrives, it isn’t just louder, it’s heavier because the band built the setting. That same patience shadows “Never Die Once,” whose angular churn hints at hardcore with riffs that cut as Richardson threads lines that read like argument, rebuttal, and closing statement within the song’s structure.
“Dolores” remains the album’s outlier, and that’s its function in the narrative. Instead of sprinting, the band leans into a deliberate, mid-tempo procession where space and sustain carry dread. Cavalera’s singing shows multiple shades, arcing statements that reaffirm the mood around it.
By the time the title track closes, Incite has provided thrash metal’s traditional currencies of speed, spite, and exactness. Incite has paid attention to storytelling in the songs with sections placed for consequence, motifs recur for meaning, and Cavalera’s barbs cut because the rhythm section keeps them grounded in the body.
Incite arranges for impact and intensity; letting pacing do the work gain staging can’t. Savage New Times honors thrash metal core identity through Lopez’s engine, EL’s ballast, Richardson’s sharpened edge, and Cavalera’s bite. That’s the short of it!
