Inhumanity Vortex is basically project titled as Inhumanity, extended. From PC 386 to Pentium... No, Inhumanity definitely weren't bad, but this just feels so much more capable. Inhumanity, a.k.a. Tom Dziekonski, acquired four guys to make it a band experience, so now it's with Vortex extension.

Just like in Inhumanity era it was Pestilence, and especially that spacey album from 1993, 'Spheres', that I always felt was the main influence. It still plays a big part, but I also feel later time Pestilence vibes here. But, there is more to it... which wasn't really a suprise, as I predicted that they'd throw a curveball with this one.

In IV's music, groove and brutality were bound together. Discordant, jarring and not so heavy toned guitar, with palm-muted and open stringed playing fluctuating, is rather repeating. It creates a robotic vibe; it feels like a machine that only does a few things. There's also nimble-fingered riffage. However, short bursts of peculiar solos and other trick add desired variation. The tempo changes are constant. Mostly, these songs won't stay in same place but for seconds, but droning, pretty Meshuggah-ish 'The Ongoing Binary' is the exception to the rule. 'Through the Infinite' is cybernetic tech-death instrumental, and definitely a nice change for droning stuff.

How much better and more full IV sound compared to older Inhumanity? Well, loads. Massive rhythm section gives this a sturdy backbone. The drumming by Kevin Paradis (e.g. Benighted) goes everywhere, from slow to double kick drumming to blast beats. It is loaded with nuances and tricks, always pushing a song forward. The bass guitar also does some soloing between what is its regular job. Both sound meaty. The vocals are powerful low growling, which is good in itself, but isn't varying at all.

Electronics and jazzier bits add colder or softer elements, and perfectly fit in. The electronics are in 1970s-90s style, making me think about Tangerine Dream or Fear Factory, but also games and movies; often so lovely retro-styled are they. There's mat sounds as well as weirder effects for colouring the whole, amplifying mood of each song. Jazzy clean tone guitar transitions aren't prolonged, but happen here and there, adding surprise element.

The cover art is fantastic, showing different eras of a city. Sadly this doesn't include any lyrics, which are dystopian stories of a future world. I'm always interested in such, and as always, lyrics would, or could, open music more.

While IV is droning, on purpose, at times, all the elements used to create this music make it multi-layered. There is lots to be heard and found in its fabric. This does sound futuristic yet it reminds of the past of science fiction, in music and other medium. It is close to bending space and time, but not quite capable of such.

Rating: 7+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
12/28/2020 22:03