Inhumate – Life

Sometimes, the French scene presents the listener with quite some jewels. Alongside SUBLIME CADAVERIC DECOMPOSITION, French independent INHUMATE are like icons of the UG Grind scene. Never yielding to labels’ pressure and/or demands, the band created their own Grind Your Soul thing, a platform simultaneously used as label and distro, through which they have released most of their (extensive) discography. Independence does not leave quality out, for these blokes do not seem to lack professionalism. A situation which is further enhanced by the fact that he line-up has been stable for the past 10 years.

Now to Life, the first real contact I have had with INHUMATE (at long last). It took three or four years for the band to release something ‘new’ since the Growth album in the meantime, they have been rather busy playing tens of shows all around Europe and releasing numerous split tapes, split EPs, compilations, etc. Back in 1996, INHUMATE set themselves for the development of a conceptual series of albums an heptalogy based on the concept of Life and the Abolition of Time (how is that for a change?…). It all started in ’97 under the moniker Internal Life. This first part deals with a preoccupation with presenting an illustration of the antenatal life. Ex-Pulsion represents the moment of the birth, whereas Growth does not need much explanation. The present album Life is the middle album and attempts at portraying the maturity of a life form (perhaps of INHUMATE too). The future albums are the development of the heptalogy and should be titled The Fifth Season, Expulsed and External Life. According to the band, this last step ends life on Earth of all men and opens Mankind to infinity. Does it mean it will bring INHUMATE to an end too? We hope not.

I have been hearing all these good things about INHUMATE for the past years, but now I see they were founded. These French goresters appear to have developed their music to a different level most songs are actually quite enticing, With many movement-impelling rhythms, grinding guitars and the occasional blast drums. And what is the more, the recording is not the kind of Underground thing which does not allow one to understand the instruments separately. Life was recorded, mixed & mastered at Down Town Studio and no vocal effects were used.

Apparently, INHUMATE keep up the tradition of three-second-long tracks in I Want to Kill Some (Part IV). Let me guess what the three previous editions of the episode sound like Favorite tracks are For Lust, N.D.S. (brilliant!), No Answer and A Trip. But INHUMATE do break with tradition in one aspect: Life features no sample of any kind which is a fresh breeze on the scene, huh?

The Life/ Live feeling is very much present in the booklet’s artwork, which features tons of pictures of the band live, fliers and the likes of. Those who still have not seen INHUMATE live (like myself) may be curious to see/ hear the band live on stage. INHUMATE thought about it too, and as a result they included a number of live tracks. I was not at all disappointed by the tracks, though I must admit to finding it slightly awkward to hear such a violent band speaking French at intervals, haha. Somehow it does not seem to fit. Fortunately, you don’t get to understand that the lyrics to N.D.S. are written in French. Mean me.

By A Trip, I thought these guys sounded a bit like SIX FEET UNDER, but N.D.S. brought a distinct HATE ETERNAL feel to the music. None of these bands happen to be Grind, so it is not really an indicated way to give you a general overview on the music, is it? The best solution is quite simple actually: visit the band’s website and download songs and videos then you will get to know INHUMATE. Or buy the fucking album!

Official Site Siteinhumate | Myspace Inhumate

Inhumate – Blasted

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