Inculter – Fatal Visions

Band: Inculter
Title: Fatal Visions
Label: Edged Circle Productions
Release date: 12 April 2019
Country: Norway
Format reviewed: Digital Mp3

New album “Fatal Visions” is out, been playing a lot of this past 5 weeks after we received the promo from Edged Circle Productions. And last week the vinyl also came in my mailbox, oh what a joy! An album that rock so hard that it almost hurts. Along with fellow bands from Fusa like REPTILIAN and SEPULCHER the wave of young musicians from the west coast of Norway is making their mark in the world of Metal. Personally, I have labeled the FUSA scene as «silly talented» earlier (in the most positive way) with this release (and last year’s SEPULCHER album), I must eat my words now. Age is in no way a central factor; these guys are making full on Thrash Metal that stands solid on its own feet. The technical abilities of this assault are evident, but the sensibility they show when slowing a tiny bit down is making them stand out. Full on Thrash like the title track “Fatal Visions” and a sense of “groove” on “Shepherd of Evil” creates that much needed variety in Thrash.

I have been postponing my review on this album since INCULTER where scheduled for playing this year’s Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway. So, this is the point where this review is turning into a live review…

A packed venue (John Dee) is waiting for INCULTER, earlier on this first day of the festival SVARTJERN, SHAKMA, AU-DESSUS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and AURA NOIR has got the crowd on fire, now it’s time for INCULTER… 8.30 in the evening, perfect timing, nobody is tired, just eager. The stage is dark, no backdrop, no bullshit. The band goes on stage, no intro just kicking off with “Open the Tombs” the opening track from the new album. It sits just as good as on the album, they are confident, almost to the verge of arrogant, like Thrash Metal should be. A short introduction of the next song, the title track from the new album “Fatal Visions”. The new guitarist Lasse has incurred tendonitis, doing double duty with both SHAKMA and INCULTER this evening must hurt like hell, but I guess the adrenaline takes care of it? “Endless Torment” is next and hopefully not a description fitting to the guitarist, from the 2015 album “Persisting Evolution”. INCULTER continues mixing up songs from the new album with the old one and plays the total of 6 tracks from “Fatal Visions”: “Impending Doom”, “Final Darkness” all cracking tunes. Before the announcement: «Now we are going to play a slow one» Not entirely true… “Endtime Winds” it picks up momentum after a doomy start and is one of my favorites on the album.

Ending the gig with “Through Relic Gates” just like the album does, a great ending and another of my favorites, if Thrash Metal can be described as “Epic” this one sure deserves the label.

To conclude on «Fatal Visions» it’s a great album by a great band that pull of playing their blistering Thrash Metal in a Live setting just as well as in the studio. The hunger this bands displays clearly shows that youth is not wasted on the young. Playing 6 songs most haven`t heard in a setlist of 9 tracks shows how eager they are to share their new stuff with the crowd. This is a stellar release one should not miss if Thrash Metal is your preferred poison. Even if it’s not, it’s still worth checking out for any one appreciating Metal. 9.5/10 Harald

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