Pantokrator – “Incarnate”

Fans of the Swedish death metal band Pantokrator will be glad to know that after a more than seven year hiatus, the group is back with a brand new powerhouse of a disc, Incarnate. The album’s title track kicks things off with a bang, immediately thrusting the listener into the world of Pantokrator; a headbanger’s paradise of old school Swedish death metal filled with heavy, catchy riffs, a powerfully thundering rhythm section, and the guttural, throaty snarls of vocalist Karl Baltazar.

As heavy as the album is though, Pantokrator do a really good job incorporating a decent amount of melody into the songs, which as a fan of their past work, I found a bit surprising – but it works really well. As the album progresses the energy and heaviness seems to build as well, and around the middle of the disc songs like “Sammath Naur” and “Millennium In Chains” really kick you in the teeth and get your neck snapping. After being aurally assaulted for eight straight tracks, the disc ends with “Kenvandring,” a heavy, slow burning tune that closes things out in perfect fashion.

I am really excited that these guys are back, and at the end of the day, I found Incarnate to be a killer, old school death metal record that I would highly recommend checking out. Welcome back Pantokrator!

Track Listing:

01. Incarnate
02. Cast Down
03. Revolution
04. Amidst The Wolves
05. Seraphim Wings
06. Icarus Burning
07. Sammath Naur
08. Millennium In Chains
09. Kenvandring

Run Time: 51:17
Release Date: January 21, 2014

Check out the song “Revolution”