ALBUM REVIEW: Inhumation – Unflesh

When arriving at the barriers of the heavier, more extreme genres metal has to offer, belief in what the band is conveying through their brutality and darkness is paramount to digesting and discerning a great record from an okay one. These are genres that must be felt much more than understood, and the darkness and oppression they provide must pervade the senses like a dark cloud of ash and incense. New Hampshire blackened melodeath trio UNFLESH have, on their second full length release, Inhumation, proved themselves to be extremely talented musicians and, in a technical sense, have done a great job in showing they have deep melodic sensibility. However, a lack of true dark ambiance and atmosphere, combined with vocals that truly don’t convey the darkness of the band’s intent, leave this album wanting and in a vast field of contemporaries, fail to set this record apart from the crowd.

There’s great promise in the opening track, Behold Nightfall. A cadence of traditional black metal chords are strummed on an acoustic guitar behind the sounds of a downpour. There’s a kick to full on black metal guitar, sweeping and melodic, with a sensory blast that sets an excellent tone. But from here, and moving into Vast Forest of Impaled Cadavers, it becomes immediately clear that vocalist/guitarist Ryan Beevers brings much more emotional weight to the record through his guitar. The vocals rarely convey as much despair and demonic darkness as is necessary here. It’s not through a lack of trying, it’s simply the tone and timbre of his voice. On the flipside, there’s some really nice guitar work and melody play. The instrumentation as a whole is a highlight of the record, with the band showing their adeptness at crafting melodic licks that add flavour to each track. But with only this spice, the rest of the stock suffers, with no real sense of atmosphere created to put the listener into the darkest forests and the mould filled crypts.

To Renounce Flesh And Blood is more of the same, with really great guitar work and a some great contribution from the rhythm section. The song is carried on the melodic licks and guitar work, though the drums could be a little crisper. It would go a long way to adding those touches that set a record apart. Inhumation, the title track, has some solid lyricism, but there isn’t much that jumps out on this song, which is a shame due to its longer length. The song is begging for more texture, and even more depth of soundscape. It needs a feeling that just isn’t coming across. If the band could combine their talent for melodic composition with a sense of surrounding atmosphere, the record would benefit immensely.

Luckily, things pick up a bit from here. Amongst Horrors Must I Dwell begins with the same acoustic sound that does actually add a bit of texture to the record. There is a deeper sense of heaviness and oppressiveness on the riffs on this track, and the orchestration features a harp like sound in the background that makes this one of the richest tracks on the record. This is followed closely by Holocaust Of Stars. It’s unrelenting from the first note, but switches to a really groovy middle section that features more acoustic licks and the first real vocal ferocity from Beevers that matches the feel of the track. There’s some great solos and a darkness to the guitar that also raises this track.

The Sepulchral Depths is a bit of a step back, but it’s more of a clinic from every instrument, especially the guitar and drums. It’s furious in its pace, but again, doesn’t do much to separate itself in the runtime of the record. But final track Dehumanized Legion has a massive vocal opening that stands as the best moment from Beevers. It’s the blackest track on the album, with the bass and guitar adding as much atmosphere as they can. There’s an eerie chorus effect behind this track as well, with some really solid riffing and licks. It’s the high point for the guitar on the record. But aside from these qualities, the momentum fails to build on its nine minute runtime and feels like a good encapsulation of the issues with the record.

Feeling is indispensable for black and death metal records, and when the artist has all the technical proficiency yet doesn’t convey a feeling of darkness and death, the record suffers. Such is the case with Inhumation from UNFLESH. A change in the vocal style, and a greater focus on creating soundscapes that put the listener in the darkest of place would serve the band well, as UNFLESH have an instrumental prowess that will already serve them well on future releases. There’s more work ahead, but the foundations are there.

Rating: 5/10

Inhumation is set for release April 2nd via self release.

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