Unflesh impressed with their debut album, Saviors, back in 2018 with their vision of melodic blackened death metal that was laced with some technical aspects for good measure. Still the vision of Ryan Beevers (ex-Solium Fatalis), this time he has grabbed Orin Hubbard (Excracor) for bass and Jeff Saltzman (Aversed) for drum duty. Inhumation walks some the same path as its predecessor, but with some details brought in to further enhance the offering.
The unification of melody and aggression is what Unflesh is all about. With the blackened aspect of the band, you can expect some faster tempos, and the usually thrashy riffing has that darkened tone to it that gives off an effectively ‘evil’ vibe. The death/thrash galloping provides Unflesh a lot of opportunity to inject some solid melodies into the mix without softening the blow, and songs like “Holocaust of Stars” and “Vast Forest of Impaled Cadavers” deliver some beautiful ones. Just the right amount of majesty to them as they rip by, coupled with blastbeats or sharp riffs to make sure the energy stays at peak levels. Longer songs this time provide greater opportunities for atmosphere (and melody), and “Amongst Horrors Must I Dwell” and “Dehumanized Legion” take advantage of their extended run with elegant atmospheric moments brought in, with some great blackened melodies to offset some more visceral and thrashy ones – crafting a more immersive flow to them that make them feel far shorter than they actually are. This is really where the band has stepped up this time, providing that extra bit of darkened atmosphere to draw you in further to the songs, while still maintaining the frenetic energy that was captured on previous releases.
Inhumation shows that Unflesh still have plenty of room for advancement in their sound without compromising the core. Tough to find bands that can pull off this sort of setting without resorting to being a full-blown symphonic act, so consider Unflesh’s evolution as reason enough to give them a look if you haven’t yet. They are beginning to dig into some very promising material.