Music Review: Incura - "The Lost EP"

Music review I wrote for EMURG.com, the music blog I wrote for:

Incura is:

Kyle Gruninger - Vocals

Jim McLaren - Keys

Jon Olson - Bass

Gatlin Fitzgerald - Guitar

Phil Gardner - Drums

I was a bit incredulous going into this review due to having admittedly never heard of the band Incura, let alone listened to their music. However, this hesitation was short lived after one clean sweep of listening to the latest album by these Vancouver, Canada-based rockers. Perhaps the fact that I went into this with no expectations and no prior knowledge of the band is what contributed to my immense surprise when I heard a band with fluid instrumentals, clever and emotional lyrics, blended musicals styles and genres, and an overall revolutionary sound that will likely keep me and many other listeners coming back for more.

The 7-track album, The Lost EP, opens up with the song “The Greatest Con,” which I believe to be a wonderful opening to the album due to its fluidity, fast-paced instrumentals, powerful lyrics and entertaining chorus. From this opening track, you really get the package of everything that is to be loved and appreciated about this band. Vocalist Kyle Gruninger’s smooth yet edgy voice never seems



to falter here, even despite the song moving forward at a fast pace from the tandem of drums, keyboard, guitar and bass in the background. This is something that I really appreciate; I feel that in many cases in metal music, a lead singer’s voice can sometimes become incomprehensible and boggled down when coupled with a fast-paced verse before they shift gears and put all their emphasis and power solely on the chorus. Luckily, this doesn’t happen here. Gruninger manages to keep his singing steadily smooth, understandable and rather good throughout.

The song “Between the Walls” continues on in a similar cohesive pattern as heard in the opening track. Here too you also get powerful riffs and all of the instrumentals working in near perfect conjunction with each other as the song progresses into the choruses. I also begin to notice with this track just how multitalented Gruninger can be as a vocalist. Throughout most of Incura’s songs, he is able to lift his voice to impressive proportions during the choruses while being quickly able to shift back to a suddenly softer, more melodic tandem in the subsequent verse. During this song, I’ve noticed similarities akin to Queen’s (one of Incura’s cited influences) Freddie Mercury, as well as some resemblance to Alter Bridge’s vocalist Myles Kennedy, in the sense that they both seem to possess the ability to cover such a wide tenor vocal range.

“Here to Blame” is arguably the heaviest song on the entire album and is undoubtedly my favorite song on the album due to its crushing instrumentals, mixing of different genres, and variety with Gruninger’s vocals. The song is kicked off with an eerie keyboard opening by keyboardist Jim McLaren. This sets the stage for a song that is emotional and triumphant and tragic thanks to the keyboard opening reminiscent to the tandem of funeral music. The song then quickly launches into a pounding guitar riff that is equally satisfying and never gets old as the song continues. As the song progresses, I also noticed how different genres are brought into play; from the beginning with its eerie sound present in the opening and its verses, I related it to gothic metal, while Gruninger’s edgy growling and screams later on in the sound immediately made me think of the metalcore genre. These varied vocals, powerful riffs and intrinsic use of keyboard only broadened my admiration of this band that won’t confine themselves to one particular genre, but will experiment and blend various sounds and styles together. That experimentation and initiative really paid off in this song in particular.

“I’d Give Anything” is another powerful song that once again starts off with a keyboard opening that sets the stage for the rest of the song. I’ve really come to respect and enjoy the sound of McLaren’s addition to the band because the keyboard actually plays a real role that establishes the song’s specific theme. I also love how it actually plays a continuous role in the song, rather than getting lost amid the guitar riffs and drumming as keyboardists sometimes do.

In this song, the pace starts off slow and gradually picks up tandem and speed before dropping back down to the same harmonic yet sorrowful sound of the keyboard from the opening. The lyrics are also powerful and emotional for this song; primarily dwelling on the theme of unrequited love and the scenario of a relationship just not working despite the best efforts to make it work. Here, at the apex of the song, I also seemed to notice that the band possessed a sound that was strikingly similar to what you’d hear in a musical. The band had stated that vocalist Gruninger had a background in theater prior to forming the band, as well as theater music being one of their overall influences. Their theater roots are certainly reflected in the chorus and impressive storytelling technique that the song seems to effectively do as it progresses.

“Over Until It’s Over” is a song with another satisfying opening guitar riff that coincides equally with drum beats. I found that this song had the weakest choruses vocally compared to all the songs that preceded it, however, the overall lyrical content of the song makes up for it in the other verses. The song primarily reflects on regret and reconciling one’s poor choices and superficial cravings and trying to change for better. “So this is the life of bliss and glee. Searching the streets for what satisfies me.” These lyrics and others like it throughout are really what made the song for me.   

The last two songs: “Confessive” and “Pride” were songs that I was slightly less enthusiastic about, however they both contributed to the uniqueness of the album all the same. “Confessive,” a song that delved into the nature of sin, I felt possessed the most powerful use of bass, by bassist Jon Olsen. “Pride” on the other hand was the slowest, most melodic song on the album. It was perfect for a steady, emotional closing to the album, although I felt that the overall lyrical content wasn’t as creative as the other songs. This isn’t necessarily bad a thing however, because the lyrics of the choruses are a simple yet powerful message. This is (as implied by the song), learning to have faith and love for yourself and to take pride in who you are as a person. Ending the album on such a positive note was certainly a smart move and wrapped up The Lost EP very well.

I found Incura’s overall sound as displayed in The Lost EP to be one this is revolutionary and one that reflects a band that isn’t afraid to break ground, cross genres and expand themselves as musicians. I look forward to further work from these Vancouver-based rockers in the future and urge other fans of punk, rock and metal who are craving a new sound to do the same.