Metal Underground.com

Bopping back and forth between thrash complexity, hardcore shouting and Alice In Chains harmony, Incarnit fills up the five songs of the "Umbra" EP with a variety of styles. But, other than a bit of acoustic guitar symmetry between "Fade Into Oblivion" and the closing title track, the band doesn't manage to make the disc feel like a cohesive whole.

There's no doubt the band has chops to spare, especially guitarists R. Karlsson Nordberg and E. Hansen. The thrashy "Black Death" shows what the two can do, both in terms of riffs and rhythms and in the excellent wah-wah laced guitar solo that comes about three-quarters of the way through. It's easily the best tune on the album, with Nordberg's best vocals as well.

"Umbra," which closes the disc, is also a winner, alternating between Alice In Chains-style creepy harmonies giving way to hardcore shouting. Especially notable is the elegaic guitar solo. The fast "Ritual" is also good, though not quite as impressive as "Black Death."

Somewhat less impressive is "Come Revolution," in which the shouting gets old. Though it's an old trick, the acoustic-guitar-turning-into-harsh-electric bit gets a decent workout on "Fade Into Oblivion," but the plodding song was the wrong one to start the album on, and robs subsequent tracks of energy as a result.

The production is pretty good on this EP, with R. Sundqvist's drums and J. Gustafsson's bass having plenty of heft.

All in all, Incarnit's "Umbra" is a solid listening experience, with some moments of greatness. Sure, there is a big sequencing issue and the songs don't quite seem to fit together, but it's a pretty good EP nonetheless.