For some reason I thought this band broke up a few years ago, but I guess not. This new EP is a lot different than the material that I've heard from Inhuman in the past. Their last full-length was basically old school hardcore with a few more metallic influences, but this time around things are heavier and there's also more of a punk influence. The vocals are also a lot different. They're more diverse as far as singing and screaming (more of the former) and they're also not as high as they used to be. Musically there's still a thread of old school hardcore in there, but the songs are really rocked out and darkly melodic as well. It's sort of like a heavy hardcore take on the Misfits or something like that to some degree (complete with some "whoa ohhh" vocals on occasion). "Darker Than You Think" and "Uprising" are the only songs that at times bring to mind the Inhuman of old: Straightforward chord progressions, a little bit of speed, heavy breaks, memorable vocals that are shouted in key, etc. The last two songs are live and I actually like 'em a lot. They're older songs that have more of a metalcore vibe going on, but they're good songs (especially the awesome "Dwell") and the live recording isn't half bad at all. I also like the fact that the performance is energetic and there's a lot of crowd interaction that makes the songs something different and worthwhile. At first I thought the production was way too muddy, but it's really not. There is some excessive low-end that muddies up the rhythm section a little bit, but the vocals sound really good and the guitars have enough midrange to add some clarity. The result causes some separation between the drums/bass and the guitars/vocals, but it's not a big deal. I can handle the listen. I like the layout for the most part. Some of the fonts aren't that hot but the color scheme is good, I like the bleak imagery, and the "Brooklyn Bastards" design under the CD tray fucking rules. Lyrically the songs are all personal, and as you should glean from song titles like "Life is Miserable" and "Darker Than You Think", this shit ain't pretty. Overall this is a nice EP. I'm intrigued. I'm not 100% into it because it feels like the band is sort of rediscovering themselves through a transitional phase at the moment, but this is definitely promising... I'm glad they're still kickin'.
[R.P.P.]
Running time - 17:18, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Life is Miserable, Uprising, Dwell (live)]
Inhuman - http://www.inhumanlegion.com
