INCURA – ST (2014)

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Woah. Just woah. Not many albums take my breath away – whether it be through musicianship, through composition, through melody or through sheer bravery – but this my friends, has done just that; the self-titled debut by INCURA.
The first thing that captured my attention from these Canadians – even before listening anything – was the recording credits; produced by Arnold Lanni (Sheriff, Frozen Ghost) and mastered by Harem Scarem’s frontman Harry Hess. Wow.

And then the music… a major Wow.
The music of Incura cannot be pigeon-holed or categorised, and this is down to the simple fact that this collection of tracks spans over a wide range of rock and theatrical genres – from hard rock blast beats, to progressive elaborated arrangements, to string sections, grand pianos and airy harmonised vocals, to meaty riffage with the dynamics of a rock opera (lead singer Kyle Gruninger has his roots in professional theater) on a hallucinogenic drug.
While Incura’s music is virtually unclassifiable, just as the band’s name is a derivate from a spell in the Final Fantasy game, you might quickly find yourself spellbound to its inventiveness and diversity.
You can hear things from diverse influences such as Queen, Robby Valentine, Avantasia, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ and countless more.

Kicking off with monster track “Get The Gun” the assault on your eardrums quickly acknowledges the fact that this is something quite special – a symphony of surprises. Layered with heavy riffs courtesy of Royce Whittaker and a chorus designed to be sang in stadiums, the song sets the bar high but this is what the whole album is like. The song arrangement, instrumental and vocal work on this opener perfectly exemplifies the album in its entirety, with the ferocious core riff and the dynamic verses along with the general chord progression and the powerful yet endearing mid section.
The second cut “I Breathe This” shows a more edge and after a strong riffage, the vocal melody and the chorus seems to take the centre role. The writing sensibility, incredibly versatile vocal performance and the outcast’s behaviour from frontman Kyle Gruninger is admirable. Now, I’m no fan of thin ‘screeching’ falsetto singing, and in most cases it can deter me from appreciating a band as a whole. But this is different, it feels so natural and emotive.

“I’m Here Waiting” starts with a Queen-like epic verse and lead to a more contemporary theme enlightened by a short but beautiful lead guitar solo intervention… bombastic and hyper catchy track.
The ambition and vision in this band is extraordinary, and it seems every member has the ability to recognize this ambition. “Who You Are” is another example of this uniqueness: the theatre and showmanship leaps from the speakers, mixing up defined Prog Metal a with Kate Bush-esque delivery and an Avantasia sonic attack. Awesome.
“Turning Blue” and “Here To Blame” are more direct but not less effective with ferocious staccato riffs and some smart vocal harmonies.

“Decide” is a Robby Valentine / Freddy Mercury flavored cut (to give you an idea, but it’s pure Incura), subtle and delicate, then suddenly metamorphosed as an outburst with some hysterical vocals showing brilliantly another side of the amazing range of Kyle. We have as well a killer, crazy lead guitar solo with tons of effects in the vein of Steve Stevens / Brian May provided by Phil X (ex- Triumph, Bon Jovi).
It’s impossible to predict how the next track will sound, that’s a suspense utterly rewarding and then comes “The Greatest Con” co-written by well known and reputed producer Brian Howes is like a resume of everything before, melodic, intriguing, adventurous, dramatic, with another highly addictive chorus hook which is going cresendo until the final climax of screams.
Album closer “Sweat Runs Cold” is another example of never knowing what Incura are going to do next. Starting with simple vocal lines and Prog keyboards it builds and builds before exploding into a huge chorus and deep chugging guitar line, at times really heavy, before dropping out again into a hands on heart melodic piece.

“Incura” is absolutely marvellous. This is what I call original, captivating, intelligent Rock music.
Incura has truly blasted away from mediocrity and musical stereotypes by presenting their ear-bashing ‘Shakespearean’ debut covering numerous genres and topics in one 10 track / 43 minute sitting.
It is impossible with this album to know where it is going to go next. It’s totally, totally over the top, drenched in hard rocking melodies but also heavy, progressive elements of pure brilliance.
Moving on through the record there is one consistent thought – the level of skill present in this CD is superb and simply cannot be ignored. Kyle Gruninger is a star in the making, Phil Gardner produces profound power through his intricate beats, of which bassist Jono Olson is tightly locked in, Jim McClaren shows his sheer versatility on keys through piano excerpts through to synth sounds, and Royce Whittaker is quite simply the master of his instrument – all the ingredients need to craft this diverse gem of an album.

Composed over two full years, you can smell the creativity and passion oozing out of this record, like freshly baked bread. But, instead of plain standard bread, Incura showcase a combination product, almost like a ‘best of’ series that includes all your favourite elements of the individual products, put together in such a way that seems natural and unoffending, and completely fucking awesome!
The theatrical influences can be heard heavily throughout the album, the music just needs some choreography then it’s stage ready for a theatre near you. Combine that with Queen multi-part harmonies and progressive tendencies ala Gentle Giant, coupled with gargantuan Mastodon-like riffs, the atmospherics of Genesis, the epicness of Robby Vantine and the melodic powerful hard rock guitar riffs, and you obtain a cocktail to blow your brains out.
Seeing veterans Harry Hess & Arnold Lanni behind this talented band, is like if the past and the future of the Canada’s finest guild was reunited to celebrate the birth and the rising of the new star of intelligent music.
Do yourself a favour, don’t miss this little Masterpiece.

01 – Get The Gun
02 – I Breathe This
03 – I’m Here Waiting
04 – Who You Are
05 – Turning Blue
06 – Decide
07 – The Greatest Con
08 – Here To Blame
09 – I’d Give Anything
10 – Sweat Runs Cold

Kyle Gruninger – Vocals
Royce Whittaker – Guitar
Jim McLaren – Keyboards
Jon Olson – Bass
Phil Gardner – Drums
Phil X – guest Guitar solos

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Incura/dp/B00HEVGIVS
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