Humanfly

A God Among Insects (2004)

Ben_Conoley

This is it: my new desert island album. Well, only if I was stuck there for just a short while.

With eight songs rounding out in less than twenty minutes, Humanfly have managed to produce what I consider to be the best short seizure I've ever had. A God Among Insects is a fierce blast of intense, complex hardcore/metalcore that's over far too soon. With most songs' lyrics not running any longer than a run-on sentence, Humanfly manages to escape with no more than a few seconds of weak moments.

The band's music is technical, but not to the point that it's imposible to dance to. Lead singer John Sutcliffe's sets the mood by switching seamlessly between screams and singing, adding in the occasional "oh yeah," and "whoo." The vocals are really what stand out on the album, but unfortunately, they are at many times too quiet and hard to hear under the instruments.

The album's closing track, "Seperate the Maggots," stands out amongst the rest, if only because it takes up over 20% of the running time. The anti-corporate music anthem is a perfect closer that will leave you reaching for the play button to hear the album all over again.

The album is not perfect, however. Some seemingly out of place, mellower singing moves in for a few minutes from time to time, and the anti-capitalist speech on "Cum to My Techno Party," if only brief, feels out of place.

I'll eventually get sick of this album, but right now, it's exactly what I want to hear. Also, the small size of the CD makes it unplayable in most stereos. Despite that, if I was stuck on a desert island for the next few weeks, this is all I'd need.

Well, maybe some extra batteries.