REVIEW: Inhuman Nature - Greater Than Death

Inhuman Nature have returned to offer a vampiric hardcore sophomore album Greater Than

Death. By combining some of the best bits of hardcore and doom metal over ten tracks, Inhuman Nature have created a sound fit for the Castlevania soundtrack enjoyers.

Opening with the scene-setter 'From the Shadows', the listener is introduced to the inhuman man, then is thrown into ‘Dawn of Inhuman Man’, an intentionally messy hardcore hitter which balances the ambience and melody of the doom metal that makes up the other half of this project’s inspiration. This is followed up beautifully by ‘Possessed to Die’ - stabby in its riffs throughout the verses, before breaking down into what can only be described as the guitar equivalent of spinning a record back. The whole track swings while still serving that vampiric and traditional metal feel, scratching an itch in the brain and making it a standout of the first section of this album; no wonder it was chosen for the lead single.

This project hits its stride as follow up ‘Servants of Annihilation' rings out, serving a thrashier

type of metal while maintaining the technical riffs of the first third; it does contain a god awful guitar/amp static halfway through though, which dampens an otherwise solid offering. The longest track, ‘Fortress of Delusion’, brings it back however - a heavy ballad with a sinister introduction that feels akin to what would play behind a villain's introduction in a cutscene before utilising Inhuman Nature’s signature drop and kick to begin the vocal element, as well as the reintroduction of that guitar-record-scratch that blissfully reminds of the original Aggretsuko theme tune (ifkyk). Longer tracks can often feel bloated, but the six minutes that Inhuman Nature takes on 'Fortress of Delusion' feels warranted as they move between sections with ease.

The second half of this project focuses more on the crust and hardcore influences that the

London quintet took when writing Greater Than Death, in turn dropping the vampiric feel somewhat. The tracks still groove but the tempo has increased and there is more focus on

Simon Grubb’s drum lines rather than Ben Taylor and Mack Stay’s riffs; the title track being a

perfect example, starting with a gorgeous round-the-toms floor lead section which sounds just as handy for a warmup as it does impressive for recorded work. The track itself has a more dancey feel than the entries prior, balanced well with more vomit-scream style vocal choices and the “are you ready to die” motif which helps maintain its intensity.

Its follow up ‘Mad Man’s Cage’ is one of the best named in terms of its energy: the track feels like it builds and never quite resolved, with its spoken word elements and chaotic second half devolving into a riff trade and swelling outro that gives the energy of crimes being forcibly contained. The final two tracks on Greater Than Death comprise of eerie instrumental warm-up ‘The Maze of Eternity’, then launching into album closer ‘Dead and Buried’, which pulls out all the stops to deliver doom metal realness. The final guitar solo sounds beautiful, though the vampiric energy of the first few tracks doesn’t quite make its return.

Greater Than Death is a solid second offering from Inhuman Nature - it strikes a gorgeous

balance between its hardcore and doom metal influences to produce a sound in equal parts

modern yet traditional. The vampiric vibes of its first three tracks are captivating in a way that

doesn't quite last the rest of of the project; it would have been great to feel more of this energy in the second half, but the dive into hardcore conventions still creates a sinister sound that scratches a similar itch as the project’s first half. The use of motifs, such as the pause and drop and that scratchy guitar riff, help to carve out what Inhuman Nature’s signature sound is - it is hard to stand out in the wall of noise that metal and hardcore can be, but for those that like the more traditional metal conventions, then this Inhuman Nature LP is staple listening material.

Score: 7/10

Greater Than Death was released on April 25th 2025.

Words: Julia Brunton

Photos: Inhuman Nature