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INHUMAN CONDITION
Fearsick

Listenable Insanity (2022)
Rating: 7.5/10

I’ll probably get flayed, hung, drawn, quartered and, more gruesomely, trolled for liking this more than Massacre. Buy hey, we all have opinions, and for me Inhuman Condition’s second full-length platter is full of gruesome goodies.

Bolstered by the excellent artwork by Dan Goldsworthy, Fearsick remains a juggernaut of a death metal outing showcasing the talents of former Massacre members Terry Butler (bass, Obituary / ex-Death / ex-Six Feet Under), Taylor Nordberg (guitar, The Absence / Deicide) and Jeramie Kling (vocals and drums, The Absence / Venom Inc. / Ex Deo).

Now, while patterns may be at times familiar with Fearsick I enjoy it for what it is – a solid lump of death metal with thrashy connotations. The reality is, bands such as this are not out there to reinvent the wheel.

Kling’s vocals are deep yet decipherable growls, and the music shifts tempo from frothing, aggressive spouts to very thrashy grooves; the prime example of this being ‘Recycled Hate’. However, there’s never any case of sacrificing heaviness. Opener ‘The Mold Testament’ chugs nicely, as does ‘I’m Now The Monster’ propelled by the effective drumming. Meanwhile, ‘Fencewalker’ with its sturdy rhythm that then steps up a gear or two, introduces an atmospheric passage strongly influenced by Massacre’s classic 1991 debut album From Beyond.

It is of course no real surprise that Massacre vapours should swirl around this opus, but it still remains an engaging old school death metal opus happy to retaliate with fast, belligerent explosion, like ‘Caustic Vomit Reveries’. But for me, it is the slower, suspenseful beginnings I adore before the tirades occur, like on ‘King Con’.

Fearsick, just like its predecessor Rat°God, is clean, punchy and happy to revel in its traditional values whereby simplicity is key.

Neil Arnold

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