Entreat "Deincubation" CD
[Moonlee]
Here's some super metallic metalcore from Slovenia that has a style somewhere in between the 90's European sound and the more melodic contemporary sound that draws more specifically from the Swedish side of things.  So it's not particularly original, but it's not necessarily unoriginal either, and I have to say that their songwriting is a shitload better than most such bands.  The playing is pretty tight, the hoarse vocal screams are a little more sinister than most, and the riffs are generally high quality.  There are a lot of atypical chord phrasings employed that add some fucked up dissonant twists, a lot of the picking patterns are chunkier and more energetic than most of this style that I come across these days, the solos are strong, etc.  They also stay away from tremolo picking, burly mosh parts, and all that kind of stuff.  There are definitely some chugging rhythms at times, and on occasion the dual guitar harmonies are pretty directly borrowed from the likes of early Dark Tranquillity or In Flames, but that's fine by me.  In all honesty if this band was from America they would probably be fucking huge, so it's a damn shame that music from more obscure lands often fails to get the attention that it deserves.  Really the only thing that I don't like is when the vocals shift into more of a spoken singing sort of style, as it just seems overdramatic and annoying (most notably in tracks like "Few Seconds in Clearness").  Everything else is very well done and I actually think this band stands head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries.  Just check out the energetic feel to songs like "Imperfect 10", or the way that tracks like "Ride (Desperado)" and "Incubate Scare" make use of creatively melodic thrashiness.  Instrumental "In Need of an End" even uses some programmed percussion effects and keyboards alongside lush clean guitars and slow melodic solos, while the core riffing is really winding and discordant - very much to my liking.  The sound quality is damn nice as well.  The mix is pretty efficient and you can hear all of the instruments, the vocals don't overpower, etc.  I think the drums could use a little more of a warmth to their density (they sound a little fake in certain respects), and maybe the bass could be a little more defined, but the guitar tone is fucking excellent: Perfectly crisp and crunchy so that it's heavy but lets the riffs retain detail.  Nice work.  The layout's so-so, though.  It's consistent and the text is clean, and there's nothing really so bad about it, it's just kind of boring and the imagery is uninteresting to me.  The lyrics deal with personal issues such as turmoil and despair and confusion and all that, with some of the lines getting sort of cheesy and referencing typical imagery, while others are a little more creative.  It's nothing worth writing home about though, so I'd really like to see them push for more engaging material on those fronts in the future, as to better match the power of their instrumentation.  Musically there are only a few very minor setbacks in place right now, and I'd encourage any fan of this style to look into these guys, because honestly I'm 100% sick and tired of this entire genre, but I can't overlook the talents that Entreat has in place.  I'm pretty damn close to giving this a 7/10, and maybe I should, but I'm holding back in the hopes that they'll really floor me next time.  Were they a little less typical this time out I'd go ahead and overlook their current shortcomings.  This is one to keep an eye on, though. (6/10)
Running time - 44:59, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Ride (Desperado), Imperfect 10, Incubate Scare]
Moonlee Records - http://www.moonleerecords.com

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