Any band that has survived eleven years in the underground with half of its original line up intact gets my immediate respect, no questions asked. France’s Inhumate have accomplished just that, with a total of five releases under their belts (including demos), the first three of which have sold out. Over the years, they have toured the European continent with such high-profile acts as Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse, and Vader. Despite relative indifference from the American press, Inhumate is a well respected name abroad, and the their commitment to the grind scene is irrefutable. While I can think of a few other bands with similar ethics, Inhumate is unique in a way that separates them from all but the most adventurous of their peers. Since the release of their debut album, guitarist David Loessl and bassist Fred Anton have embarked on a most daring task: to make each Inhumate release a concept album. As if creating three discs of «thematic grind» isn’t ambitious enough, they have taken on the additional duty of ensuring that the concept from one album fits sequentially with the next. Each release fulfills another chapter of Inhumate’s «heptology» (seven-part series), which is «based on the concept of life and the abolition of time» (as stated in their bio). The legacy began with 1996’s «Internal Life», which dealt with the prenatal aspect of existence. The came 1997’s «Ex-pulsion», which documented the moment of birth itself. Now we are confronted with «Growth», which will be followed by «Maturity», «The Fifth Season», «Death», and «Eternal Life».

Getting back to Inhumate’s current installment, I must admit that without the requisite background info, I would never have guessed that «Growth» was a concept album. Promo copies rarely come with lyric sheets, and most of the songs are devoid of intros or connective passages. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised upon learning of the band’s long term strategy. Overall, «Growth» is an enjoyable romp through seventeen tracks of philosophic grind. The production is considerably above average, and the band plays with a confidence that one would expect from a quartet of scene veterans. In fact, this could have been a perfectly solid album were it not for just a couple of rough spots.

First, there’s this nagging sense of deja vu I keep getting whenever I examine the riffs on this album. I can’t identify who or where they came from, but the distinct air of familiarity is a bit discomforting. In all fairness, the same can be said of a lot of bands. I think we tend not to notice because they hide their similarities under a «busy» (or just plain noisy) studio mix. Given Inhumate’s clearer sound quality (not to mention their penchant for short, straightforward songs which allow them just enough time to squeeze two or three riffs into each track), I can understand why their influences might be more obvious. Additionally, there aren’t a lot of bands playing this style of groove-laden grind these days, so Inhumate still come across as being original in their own way. I usually prefer songs with a little more complexity, but these guys do remarkably well with their stripped-down approach. This stuff actually becomes quite addictive after a few spins, and it isn’t the type of album you can just set aside after listening to a few tracks. «Growth» demands that you absorb the music in its entirety, and to do anything less would be sacrilege.

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