Killswitch Engage’s 6th studio album, Incarnate, sets a new standard for metal albums. Diving deep into topics such as societal racism, personal suffering, and questioning spirituality keeps their sound fresh but still recognizable. Possibly living up to the greatness of 2004’s The End of Heartache or 2013’s Disarm the Descent,  the new album demonstrates the impressive songwriting ability of lead singer Jesse Leach, as well as the band’s continued musical excellence.

The first two singles for Incarnate accurately painted a picture of the album. First released was “Strength of the Mind,” an uptempo piece filled with screams of anger but also a fair amount of singing. This song explores the uncomfortable topic of self-hatred. While dark, it offers a hopeful tone, as it requires strength of the mind to overcome these inner demons. Lyrics like “gather all your pain and suffering, turn them into strength and weaponry” sends shivers down the spine, as it is powerful and aggressive. “Hate by Design” takes the lyrics in a whole new direction, focusing on society as a whole rather than personal problems. An opening bombastic scream sums up the wild ride the song takes listeners through. My favorite lyric has to be “born into this world of hatred, we are born free of this society.” It speaks to greater issues beyond personal problems, a fantastic and refreshing change.

As for the rest of the album, the deeper lyrics persisted. The growl of “my soul searches beyond the aether, beyond the dogmatic haze” gives a rush of adrenaline in “Embrace the Journey…Upraised.”  Switching back to personal issues, “Cut Me Loose” takes the listener down the disturbing road of suicidal thoughts and pain. In its music video, multiple scenes show a hooded man on the verge of suicide, attempting to kill himself with pills and a noose. Undoubtedly dark, the song does offer hope as it stresses moving on from pain. One of my personal favorites on the album was “The Great Deceit”. Specifically mentioning the problem of racism in America, Leach’s growls brings awareness to the “disconnection through color of the flesh”.

Spending the money on 12 awesome songs (15 if you spend a little extra for the deluxe edition) is well worth it. The only problem with the album is that it makes the wait all the harder for their future work.