Incite’s wonderful video for their awesome lead single “Deadbeat” perfectly captures the frustrated sense of powerlessness many of us have felt during COVID. In fact, much of their upcoming record feels like a result of, and reaction to, the feelings we’ve all felt over the past year. So it’s a very welcome respite that the Arizona group’s forthcoming Wake Up Dead LP, due out March 25th via Minus Head Records, was created with one word in mind: fun. The group’s groove-infected feels like the perfect vessel to channel all the rage of COVID into a heavy metal house party.
Everything fans loved about Incite feels amplified here, and vocalist Richie Cavalera credits the inclusion of new guitarist Eli Santana for the added pizzazz, flair, and musical fireworks.
“It’s always hard to replace a guitar player because you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know how the new dude is going to write; you don’t really know much, but we’ve known Eli, and we had a lot of faith in what he could bring to the band. Not only did he bring what we thought he could; he brought so much more than we could’ve ever imagined. I think you’ll notice when you hear the solos on this record how much feel and heart and soul they have in them. They’re some of the best solos I’ve heard in a long time. He just really has a style that reminds me of Van Halen and Dimebag [Darrell], and it’s just really incredible what this dude can do. He’s the 4th and final piece we’ve been missing. This is the first time we actually ever walked in the studio and were beyond fired up.”
Cavalera is dead-on about a new era and vibe for the band. I can’t get over how these songs feel like the most playful version of Incite yet. Cavalera acknowledges that a lot of thought went into conveying that this is a totally new era for the band.
“We really wanted to try something different as far as music and the image of the band. We’re four fun-ass dudes, you know. We’re always laughing and having a great time, and we’ve always in the past put out this image of scary horror tough guys, which we’re not. So I think for us, it was about changing the image; we wanted the songs to fit that too. You get awesome titles on this record that fit us, and then you have lyrics that are us. I thought for the first time in my life that I could just write anything and not just be like, ‘oh it has to be so fucking metal.’ It was just about writing what was true to me, and I think that made these songs really connective and fun.”
With the band’s best, most exuberant batch of songs to date, Incite are back and better than ever. I can’t wait to hear these songs live, if we can finally kill off this COVID bastard.
Watch the video for “Deadbeat” here:
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Photo courtesy of Incite and Oleg Bogdan
