As one of the leading bands in the NWOAHM, Killswitch Engage’s 7th release manages to impress and keep the band’s uplifting brutality going strong into 2016. Not without some flaws, Incarnate shows the band improving, all the while being sure to keep their fans happy.

There comes a point in a band’s career when they realize they have a formula that works and that they can prolong their relevancy by exploiting it. In the end, bands are ultimately left with with two decisions: fine-tune your craft and continue to develop your working formula, or ride it into the ground for as long as you can. In recent years, bands from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal (Or, y’know, pre-Warped Tour metalcore) have been faced with this dilemma, and as such bands have been falling off the radar or evolving to do so. While a band like All That Remains may strive to appeal to radio rock listeners while still dealing out heavier tracks on the album, Killswitch Engage have opted a much different option that is, ultimately, working for them.

Roughly four years ago, Killswitch Engage reunited with their original vocalist, Jesse Leach. Disarm the Descent was a strong return for the band, after having slugged through their 2009 self-titled release (Arguably considered their weakest by their fans) and marking a triumphant return for Leach. It was obvious that with Leach’s return, the band’s signature sense of melody was dialed down slightly on Descent, all in favor of a more aggressive approach reminiscent of  Alive. A huge success in every way for the band, Descent has practically paved the way for Incarnate, and the result is, for lack of a better description, more of everything people love about Killswitch, whether you’re a fan of former vocalist Howard Jones on the current incarnation.

Let it be known, it means nothing when bands say that this release is their “most melodic” or “heaviest,” and only prompts eye-rolls because we’ve heard it before. However, Incarnate is essentially that for Killswitch: the melody from albums like The End of Heartache are there, but the relentless aggression is also a focus, as well, and more so than it was on their previous release. “Embrace the Journey… Unpraised” best exemplifies this, taking twists and turns throughout, showcasing slower tempos, more extreme and aggressive passages, and all but not forgetting to hook you with a powerful chorus and dynamics throughout.

Tracks like “Hate by Design” conjure classic Killswitch Engage vibes, with melodic riffing and headbanging-worthy drum patterns. Adam D. and Joel Stroetzel are still in fine form as guitarists, and while dedicated fans may recognize the conventions of their playing by this point, (Being their seventh album together) they still manage to be both impressive and infectious in their technicality. Their playing on “Until the Day” are sure to remind you of their varied instrumental abilities, all the while including the frequent soaring lead guitar harmonies.

But coming into fine form, it’s evident that Jesse Leach has improved exponentially since Descent in 2013. Tackling melodies in the form of Howard Jones, but doing with his own touch, Leach has essentially conjured everything people have loved about Killswitch Engage’s vocals and done an impressive job at it, too. To say Leach has improved is an understatement: he has evolved.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG7n93dShNQ[/youtube]

And while it’s a strong and powerful improvement over their last album, (Descent was highly enjoyable, keep that in kind) Incarnate is not bulletproof, as it does have its own share of problems. For one, the majority of songs do have a sense of sameness to it. The album does slow down its tempo at times, like the aforementioned “Embrace the Journey… Unpraised” and “It Falls On Me,” but the first few tracks on the album nearly blend together on the first listen or two, making it tough to distinguish them from even some of the later tracks. Killswitch have obviously improved their writing on this album, but at the same time it would have been nice to see them take some risks, such as more songs with a slower tempo, possibly.

And while they are included with the special edition, I found the three bonus tracks included to be far stronger than most of the ones included on the standard edition. And that’s saying something, too, as the album itself is well composed. But when some tracks, like the opening “Alone I Stand”, are weaker than one of these bonus track,s (“Reignite” would have served as a voracious opening) it seems odd that they would neglect them from the standard release.

Does that take anything of value away from the album, however? No, absolutely not. The special edition is worth the additional money, but as a whole Incarnate is worth the hype the band has been generating. As they’ve made it clear, they are rightfully satisfied with this release, as are we to be impressed by it. Incarnate continues to prolong the band’s career, and by the improvement in their songwriting, as well as Leach’s titanic improvement on an already impressive skillset, Killswitch Engage are obviously here to stay. And as long as they continue to keep Incarnate the set standard quality for them, fans should be happy with whatever they begin to churn out.