Inhuman
“Black Reign”
(Released Power Productions)
“Happiness is just a dream / True for most, but not for me / So life is miserable to me/ miserable to me”, so sings Mike Inhuman, front man of this foursome who are obviously too in love with The Misfits. Sure, I dig Jerry Only, too. My Halloween pumpkin was even carved like The Misfits logo, but a quick look at the other band member’s names (Jocifer, Hank Hell, Steve Gallo) quickly shows what street this EP is headed down. Borrowing a bit from the depression-laden lyrics of Davey Havoc and AFI, Inhuman does their best to mesh the aggressiveness of their East Coast roots with the slightly poppy hooks of The Misfits.
The result is a band trying to have their cake and eat it, too, as an unbalanced feel seems to fill the seven-track EP. While Inhuman’s lyrics have a decided hardcore edge, the pacing and delivery suggest otherwise. The same holds true for the rest of the effort, too. There’s some serious talent here, it’s just that the rudder on this ship needs to make up its mind which port it’s headed for. The last two tracks on “Black Reign” were recorded live at the infamous CBGB’s in New York for those of you schralping for hard-to-find Inhuman stuff.
