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Inhuman (1992)
Inhuman’s self-titled demo, recorded in February 1992, was the only thing this band left behind to mark their brief existence. As with many others from Poland’s deep, shadowy underground, these guys emerged for a short time and then descended back into obscurity. The music features a solid mixture of gloomy, tremolo-picked death metal passages with some rather intricate and vicious thrash riffs. There are also some decent lead guitar solos thrown in, particularly on "Death in Torments" and "Secluded from the Society", which add a sense of depth and texture to the songs. These solos aren’t flashy for the sake of showing off but add to the atmosphere, weaving between the riffs and giving the music an extra layer of intensity. The vocals are in the guttural, indecipherable style that was becoming more standard around this time. It’s fine enough, though a more evil, raspy approach would have served the material better. The drumming is competent and varied, matching whatever feeling the guitars are going for, from blast beats to more standard patterns.
The production is decent for a demo, just raw enough to suit the music but clear enough for everything to be heard well. The guitars have a thin, sharp tone that works perfectly with the songwriting, especially the coldness of some tremolo melodies such as on “Certificate”. “Vomit on Face” blends melody with grim aggression in a way that Death were aiming for around this time but never quite achieved. The fact that this is listed online as simply death metal is proof that people don’t even bother to listen to this stuff. They hear a few seconds of death vocals and chromatic riffs, then slap a label on without paying the slightest bit of attention.
It’s astonishing that Inhuman did nothing beyond this one demo tape. Whereas a lot of bands are clearly in the process of developing and finding their identity, these guys were clearly very skilled musicians and songwriters by the time they made their first recording. That none of the members seem to have done anything before or after this (except the bassist being briefly involved with something over a decade later) is almost unbelievable. The level of musicianship on display here is ridiculous for the sole demo from an unknown band, as it is vastly superior to what many well-established bands were doing in this era. Of course, the story is all too common when it comes to Polish bands; they show promise but their potential is unable to be fully realized and they simply vanish. Regardless, this is worth tracking down in whatever manner possible. Anyone into late ’80s/early ’90s death/thrash or death metal in general will likely appreciate this.
The production is decent for a demo, just raw enough to suit the music but clear enough for everything to be heard well. The guitars have a thin, sharp tone that works perfectly with the songwriting, especially the coldness of some tremolo melodies such as on “Certificate”. “Vomit on Face” blends melody with grim aggression in a way that Death were aiming for around this time but never quite achieved. The fact that this is listed online as simply death metal is proof that people don’t even bother to listen to this stuff. They hear a few seconds of death vocals and chromatic riffs, then slap a label on without paying the slightest bit of attention.
It’s astonishing that Inhuman did nothing beyond this one demo tape. Whereas a lot of bands are clearly in the process of developing and finding their identity, these guys were clearly very skilled musicians and songwriters by the time they made their first recording. That none of the members seem to have done anything before or after this (except the bassist being briefly involved with something over a decade later) is almost unbelievable. The level of musicianship on display here is ridiculous for the sole demo from an unknown band, as it is vastly superior to what many well-established bands were doing in this era. Of course, the story is all too common when it comes to Polish bands; they show promise but their potential is unable to be fully realized and they simply vanish. Regardless, this is worth tracking down in whatever manner possible. Anyone into late ’80s/early ’90s death/thrash or death metal in general will likely appreciate this.
(9 Aug. 2025)
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