Inhuman Condition â Mind Trap Review
By Tyme
Inhuman Condition has been repping 90s-era Floridian death metal since 2020. Comprised of former Massacre members Jeramie Kling, Taylor Nordberg, and Terry Butler, Inhuman Conditionâs debut, Rat°God, was the best thing Massacre never recorded post From Beyond, garnering a 3.5 from our overlord and hater of over raters, Steel. Presumably rushed was 2022âs sophomore effort, Fearsick, which saw Inhuman Condition take a step backward despite sporting additional guitar appearances from Rick Rozz himself. With a freshly gory, revamped logo by Mark Riddick adorning yet another beautiful cover by Dan Goldsworthy,1 Inhuman Condition returns with its third offering, Mind Trap. Will this outing see Inhuman Condition walk a path of redemption and assume its own identity, or will it stumble again and continue suffering Massacreâs curse of ever-diminishing relevance?
Eschewing technicality and bouts of blistering speed, Inhuman Condition remain flagbearers of groovily mid-paced, thrashy death metal. Having simmered for a few years, however, Mind Trap feels fully cooked, more akin to Rat°God than Fearsick as Inhuman Condition further distance themselves from overt Massacre clone-ialism. Suffused with a renewed sense of immediacy, Nordbergâs re-energized guitar work features plenty of Rozz dives into the whammy pool (âSeverely Lifeless,â âGodShipâ), as well as serpentine solos and a multitude of chuggy-chunk riffs (âChaos Engine,â âObscurerâ). His Royal Bassist, Terry Butler, continues to lay down a fat-bottomed low end that adds weight to Nordbergâs muscular machinations and hangs meatily on the hooks of Klingâs pounderous drumming, whose vocals, too, hit that brutal yet discernible sweet spot. For Inhuman Condition, simple is as simple does, and though Mind Trap adheres smashingly to the groovy, cavemanic formula perpetuated by the likes of Six Feet Under and Jungle Rot, itâs got the legs to outrun the pack.
Mind Trapâs thirty-one-minute runtime whisks you along faster than an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru and is full of bite-size death metal bits, most of them sirloin, but some filet mignon. One such morsel, lyrically penned by Cannibal Corpseâs Paul Mazurkiewicz,2 and an album highlight, âFace for Laterâ is a viscerally speedy and satisfying death metal romp with up-tempo riffs, crazed solo work, and a chorus that will earworm its way in and haunt your corrupted brain. Also of note are the grower, not show-er riffs and quirky tempos of âThe Betterment Plan,â which improved for me with repeated listens, and the mildly atmospheric âRecollections of the Future,â sporting a âKing Conâ-ic intro and guest vocals from Jonas Kjellgren (Carnal Forge, Scar Symmetry). Intact since inception, this stalwart lineup has defied its Massacred beginnings through sustained continuity. Mind Trap reflects an Inhuman Condition stepping further into their own, and more importantly, back in a positive direction.
Inhuman Condition once again took up arms and recorded at Smoke & Mirrors Productions, with Klingâs mix and Nordbergâs master suffusing Mind Trap in a rich warmth that gives every meaty riff, beefy bass line, and brawny beat the space needed to thrive. Yet, even excellent production cannot overcome limp songwriting, and not all the tracks on Mind Trap stand out. With its doomy, Sabbathian trilled intro and straightforwardly speedy and boring midsection, âMind | Tool | Weaponâ did nothing to rouse my fist to pump or my head to bob. Then, the awkward riffs and sloppy guitar runs of âScience of Discontentâ came across as amateurish and were not only a poor way to conclude the album but also an example of the materialâs inferiority.
Unlike Gruesome, who are happy to release quality albums that mimic their influences, Inhuman Condition continues to stitch a unique niche in the tapestry of OSDM and, in doing so, leave their Massacre ties further behind. Mind Trap is a fun, not too serious, attention-deficit-friendly death metal album that further exemplifies Inhuman Conditions growing coalescence. Among this trioâs other projects, of which Obituary (Butler), Deicide (Nordberg), and GoregĂ€ng (Nordberg and Kling) are just a few, it seems these guys genuinely enjoy playing together as Inhuman Condition. Mind Trapâs got plenty to sink your teeth into, and Iâm sure songs like âFace for Laterâ and âObscurerâ will go over well in a live setting. I was glad to hear Inhuman Condition returned to form here, and I would recommend you give Mind Trap a few spins this summer yourself.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 11 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: High Roller Records (Europe)
Websites: Bandcamp | InhumanCondition.com | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: June 27th, 2025
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