So far in 2021, there’s been some excellent symphonic metal from power metal band Dragony, stalwarts Epica, the orchestral bombast of Abstrakt, the majestic Utbyrd, the epic tales of Aussies Stormtide, the reformed Phlebotomized, the avant garde chaos of Exanamis and aa few others as well.
One such band is Belgium’s InHuman, who were formed from the ashes of Celtic Metal act Anwynn. And the name change has resulted in a sound that still has huge choral and orchestral arrangements (from the Gens University Choir and guitarist Eerik Maurage), but less celtic/fantasy based, a more of a death metal /melodic death metal crunch and stomp.
The nearest comparison I can come up with is maybe Crematory mixed with Swiss act Dysrider and with The Project Hate; there are deep growled vocals interplaying with operatic female vocals and massive, bombastic, orchestral parts. The only thing missing is TPH’s techno/dance/ electronic elements.
Its all very well done, polished and ambitious. The orchestral arrangements are epic as heck, and interwoven well into the songs as well as a few standalone bridges/breaks etc. The Gens Univerity Choir does a great job as well providing dramatic, choral flourishes (i.e “Unbearably Human”). The guitars have a big , beefy crunch, keeping things heavy and menacing (“The Chosen Cancer”), despite all the theatrical elements.
Other solid songs include “Unfolded”, “The Day I Died” and the more aggressive “For the Life of Me” and dramatic 7 minute penultimate number “Casus Belli”. It all results in a pretty enjoyable album of bombastic, orchestral metal that shows a lot of promise.
