Review: “Feasted Upon Like Carrion” by Inhumed

It’s been a long, slow and cold ride out of Hell for Winnipeg Manitoba’s Inhumed, a Murderous Death Metal five piece who pride themselves in putting on an engaging and energetic live performance. That has earned them a reputation which has seen them opening for bands such as Cryptopsy, Kataklysm and Ingested at various points over the past seven years as they draw on influences from 90’s Death Metal to create a sinful sound of their own. Their debut album, the cunningly titled “Volume 1“, dropped in 2018 and established a working relationship with Matt Copper (Cell, Endless Chaos) at Atomic Twenty-Nine Studios who returned to record, mix and master their sophomore effort “Feasted Upon Like Carrion” five years down the line. Continuing with lyrical themes including (but are not confined to) horror, death, gore and (anti) religion, this promises to be one not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach…

Vocalist Mike Mason, drummer Blair Garraway, bassist Nick Campbell and guitarist duo Liam Nicholson and Ian Garraway may not have been the most prolific band over the duration of their time together but it has to be said that they have chosen the quality over quantity route. Opening cut “The Ascent” is a sinister instrumental that borders on the cinematic, feeling like you’re watching the infamous elevator of blood scene from Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining“. Uneasy and yet captivating with icy piano and orchestration, it builds into the guitars which offer an odd time signature before “Fed To The Skies” screams across the night skies like a bat out of hell. That brings flavours of The Black Dahlia Murder as the lyrical title track, Mason’s storytelling abilities shining through as the percussion takes hold. Perpetual forward motion is maintained with the Melodic Death Metal tinged “A Defiance Of Faith” as the band build a wall of sound to thin the herd and decimate the weak built upon the foundation of gold and bones that is the lyrical narrative. What it lacks in a face melting solo, it makes up for in sinister brooding atmosphere. Leads then bring in “Vengeance On A God King” which has another throat shredding performance from Mason and some clever nuances that nibble on the toes like piranha over multiple listens. A smouldering slow burn, it has all the searing intensity of a forest fire while the icy piano closing is nothing short of mesmerising. A dark depiction of hell, “Exhibitions Of Beauty” is another lethal dose of Canadian hatred that plays out at the tempo of the damned with a slow and yet deadly solo adding just the right amount of spice… [7/10]

Track Listing

1. The Ascent
2. Fed To The Skies
3. A Defiance Of Faith
4. Vengeance On A God King
5. Exhibitions Of Beauty

“Feasted Upon Like Carrion” by Inhumed is out 14th July 2023 with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.