History & Biography Tuscany in the heart of Italy has a band called Humangled since 1996, which really became active ten or so years after formation. Initially called Putrid Sequence, that formation leaned more industrial than the group’s evolved version. A demo called Anatomic Butchery was issued in 1997. The group then disbanded. The 2007 demo Refoetalize and 2008’s Edge Of Beyond lead to a deal with Abyss Records for the 2010 full-length. The album was recorded in 2009, but mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö in 2010.
The group’s rhythm section changed over to bassist Frank Nichols and drummer Valdaster in 2010. Italian death metal band Humangled released a video for the track Needles Of The Blind from the band's 2012 EP entitled Odd Ethics, which was due out in mid to late May through Abyss Records.
Reviews HUMANGLED - FRACTAL - ABYSS
One would think Humangled’s Fractal would be far gorier affair given the name, but in fact it is not, which is not a surprise after all seeing the band’s photographs and lack of image. These guys look like they operate daddy’s pizzeria as a day job.
The secret to unlocking the riddle of the band’s sound is in fact in the group’s name. Death’s 1991 album was called Human and Fractal is Human with a shinier modern sound and technical time changes and twists thrown in for good measure. Note that a band member’s side-project is called Symbolyc. The music can be hit and miss with all the changes though. The riffs really do repeat one too many times, the changes are forced and there is precious little variety in the whole ensemble. The drummer is usually one speed slower than the rest of the gang as well. The band’s lack of guitar solos is not helping matters in this department either. Having said that, the bass sound become loud and prominent often. Vocally, Andrew Goreds is a harsh growler, although Humangled tones things down here and there with clean vocals and oddball voices and samples.
The lyrics come across as a gore band that has gone beyond and moved to pastures that are more abstract. Reading through the lyrics and the weirdness of the words, sentences and structure one can only wonder whether the whole thing was put through an online translator. Did they write this in Italian and then translate it through a machine? “loveproof of hate” or “if you choose for who cannot somebody else will choose for you” or “sicking melodies have been danced before being sickled” or “Dying inside day by day, by her husband plug and play” are either proof positive that online translators have years to go before becoming functional or is a practical joke by/on the band. There are dozens of examples of lyrics and lines that make no sense logically, mentally or grammatically whatsoever. Yet, the band’s biggest impediment remains a lack of interesting riffs with those that are here coming over hurled at the listener again and again. The band is trying to be complex and progressive, but like most techno-death bands, it all makes little sense. - Ali “The Metallian”
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