The Scattering Of Ashes, Into Eternity’s last album, was a huge success. The Canadians embarked on a world tour in succession of the album and its hits, like ‘Severe Emotional Distress’ and ‘Timeless Winter’. However, upon returning, guitarist Tim Roth’s father was diagnosed with cancer and died just before christmas 2007. Two of Roth’s best friends died the year before and because of these tragic events, he chose to write his emotions off into the next album. The Incurable Tragedy.

This is Into Eternity’s first concept album and I must say that despite the heavy load, Tim and Stu had a good feel for incorporating the story into song chapters. After an intro that involves a beeping heart monitor, they kick off.

The music in general has matured a lot. Song structures are more in line with each other; no longer ‘just’ explosions of randomly generated energy. The one thing that I found less appealing, was that the lyrics sounded like they were written for chapters, not for songs. That’s a pity if you ask me. A concept album will most likely sound more smooth when songs are songs.

Let’s go back to the music. The reason is simple; it’s awesome. Technical parts sound more accessible, brutal parts sound deep and heavy, even moreso than on previous records. The memorable choruses that we remember from previous albums come back even stronger on The Incurable Tragedy. Although the vocals of Tim and Stu have been pitched differently during clean parts, they still create that ‘sing-along’ feeling.

There are ups and downs on the album, just like in real life. But throughout The Incurable Tragedy, the message is clear: cancer is a bitch. The last track, an emotional instrumental, ends with that same heart monitor from the intro falling still. That got to me. If you need a shake, play this album. It’s definitely worth your time.