Ingested
The Sugarmill, Stoke
28 June 2010

So you want to know why Ingested are better than 99% of the deathcore bands that still continue to flood line ups, crushing so many 12 year old shit kickers into venues that they end up sharing skinny jeans? Well it won’t take much explaining, just look at whose supporting tonight.

First up are local heroes Betrayal within the Ranks, who disguise their unstructured chug with a confident performance. The crowd loves it, but with seemingly random screams mixed with their generic sound these guys will need to work hard to make anything worth a real listen. Then it’s the mandatory atmospheric intro and breakdown as Path to Perdition hit the stage. Vocalist Broughy is undoubtedly passionate, fighting through sound problems to try and motivate the crowd who are apathetic to say the least. Only when Your Chariot Awaits vocalist Asa comes on for a track does the crowd makes any real effort during the set.

Not that any of this is as bad as Tears of Ishara, whose second vocalist is as much use to the band as Lampard’s second goal would have been in the England match last night, something that wouldn’t be as noticeable if it wasn’t obvious that he knew this as well. He strolls around the stage looking lost, throwing in the odd scream and it’s not like the music is even any good. Any technical finesse is ruined by the constant slow-mo breakdowns and their efforts are met with constant piss taking from the crowd.

The sense of relief when Ingested take the stage is palatable. As soon as they break open their slamming set of songs the crowd goes mad. Finally bringing some movement to the venue. Jay thrashes around the stage like a mad man, clearly having the time of his life. Songs like Skinned and Fucked and Anal Evisceration crush the crowd while new song Decline shows that the band aren’t going to sit back and ride the wave of popularity. A brutal set that should quiet the haters and show once and for all that Ingested are more than your typical deathcore band.

Review by Matt Tilt