It's been five years since Dave (ex-Slayer) Lombardo's Grip Inc last released an album. On the evidence of past experience, I don't suppose many people were desperately awaiting their return. Their fourth album, Incorporated, however sounds a noticeable improvement over the likes of Solidify and The Power Of Inner Strength.

Before, I think their main problem was that singer Gus Chambers failed to do justice to a tight rhythm section, but here they've coaxed a powerful performance out of him that still sounds a little flat at times, but in better moments approaches Burton C Bell (Fear Factory). 

He's at his most convincing when singing the more meaningful songs like 'Monster Among Us' (from The Power Of Inner Strength) and, here, the likes of 'The Answer' and 'Man With No Insides'.  In fact, it’s often Chambers who provides that edge to several otherwise pedestrian filler tracks!  Nevertheless, the middle of the album it must be said is fairly non-descript, still neither particularly poor nor good.

They’re a band who aren’t afraid to be slow or even relatively melodic, unlike ‘thrash metal’ bands, and in that respect resemble the later Konkhra (of Come Down Cold) or Metallica (since the black album) more than Lombardo’s previous outfit. 

While a couple of the more impressive songs lift this album to the high side of average, and mark an improvement on previous offerings, though this collection isn’t one that will trouble the likes of Machine Head, Metallica, Slayer or Pantera (RIP).  The presence of two enhanced videos would be another plus, but both merely feature the band in the studio, and little of real interest.
(3/5)

Release date: 17 May 2004