Six years ago the U.S. death metal band Gruesome paid an honorable tribute to Chuck Schuldiner as they carefully managed to create a replica of Death’s early albums. Spawning from Florida, Inhuman Condition has risen with a similar purpose to yield a classic homage to the golden era of the American death metal. Formed in 2020 by the former members of Massacre, the band features the legendary bassist Terry Butler (ex-Death, ex-Massacre, ex-Six Feet Under, Obituary), guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Goregäng) and drummer Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc.). The debut full-length album ‘Rat°God‘ is named after Massacre’s 1992 classic EP. Inhuman Condition is generally considered as a modern iteration of the Floridian death metal. With an effort to deliver classic death/thrash metal riffs in the vein of bands such as Death and Massacre, the trio offers an old-school take that would surprise many fans of the genre.

When I first listened to the opening track ‘Euphoriphobia‘, the pounding bass lines immediately struck me with nostalgic memories from early 1991. The songs on the album are structured to sound identical to Massacre’s album ‘From Beyond‘. The first thing you will come to notice is the production of the album that sounds perfectly authentic to the old-school. In fact, the songs are arranged in such a way that they truly capture the raw definition of Floridian death/thrash metal. Inhuman Condition resurrects the ultra-brutal style even though songs like ‘The Neck Step‘ contain rhythmic guitars and fiery solos add up to a galvanizing effect on the music.

Under the skilled direction of their veteran bassist, Inhuman Condition‘s musical cohesion has led to them releasing a serious contender for the year 2021. The band’s preceived lack of originality I personally don’t see as a big deal. The buzz-saw guitars and the solos make the songs just as perfect as the classic albums of the nineties era. True to the old school formula the songs are driven by pulverizing riffs with the guitars and drums arranged to convey the trademark sound of Death and Massacre. ‘Rat°God‘ is masterfully steeped in the old school facets of eighties thrash metal. ‘Planetary Paroxysm‘ perfectly delivers powerful riffs and grooves with gruff vocals that are similar to Kam Lee.

However, a track like ‘Killing Pace‘ suddenly changes the direction as the pace gets determined by the up-tempo groove and the energetic vibe of the drums. At its most basic formula, the band emphasizes brutality. Although there is absolutely no dispute on the quality of the riffs, the trio has managed to convey an excellent cohesion. Spanning almost thirty-three minutes of nineties throwback, an additional quality comes from Terry Butler who provides a classic feel to the songs. The resulting style somehow swings between the heavy tempos of Death and the brutality of Massacre. Inhuman Condition shows a unique approach to the riffs and technicality. These unwavering powerful riffs on ‘Gravebound‘ bear clear comparisons to albums like ‘Spiritual Healing‘ and ‘Leprosy‘.

With such classic and catchy songwriting, the debut album depicts an evocative style from the past. Although nothing complex, ‘Rat°God‘ is the most characteristic death metal album released this year. Its distinctive songwriting style accurately displays what the Floridian bands achieved back in time. The heavy guitar lines along with the sledgehammer percussion are played at mid-tempo to energetic speed. The album is full of electrifying solos, catchy rhythm guitars and locomotive riffs. ‘Tyrantula‘ offers plenty of headbanging moments. The pounding drums on this track provide double bass while the solos are performed by guitarist Rick Rozz. The album title track is another brilliant one, flawlessly executed by the thumping bass guitar. Modeled by old school brutality, ‘Crown of Mediocrity‘ ‘s storming guitars gallop through the heavy pace of the drumbeats.

Inhuman Condition eschews the complex idioms of modern death metal, but what these veterans have delivered here is something unique in sound and quality. The album closure ‘Fait Accompli‘ is the most memorable track that begins with slow atmospheric guitars where it conjoins intense riffage and pulverizing drums. Now that they have debuted their first official release, ‘Rat°God‘ will be on my constant playlist for quite some time. This is recommended for fans of early Death, Obituary, Disincarnate and Massacre.  

Release Date: June 4th, 2021
Label: Listenable Insanity Records
Track list:

1. Euphoriphobia
2. The Neck Step
3. Planetary Paroxysm
4. Killing Pace
5. Gravebound
6. Tyrantula
7. Rat°God
8. Crown of Mediocrity
9. Fait Accompli