Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.

A few weeks ago we were contacted by Virus Inhumanity’s drummer Sepp to check out his band Virus Inhumanity and their debut EP “Infectious.” He even sent us a physical promo copy of the EP so let’s now take a look at this band and their first recorded material.

“Infectious” is the debut EP from the Belgian groove/death metal band Virus Inhumanity and is released independently. This 5-track release begins with “Darkness Came” and while its groovy yet melodic guitar opening and fast paced first verse got me quite pumped the rest of the track has some not so well-timed tempo changes and just feels kind of hastily slapped together and so the song doesn’t maintain the momentum it had at its beginning. Still, it has its fun moments between the unnecessary fat.

Next up is “Baptized In Fire,” a track that I enjoyed a lot more than its predecessor thanks to its relentless pace, electric guitars, crunching riffs & beats and menacing atmosphere. Then comes the band’s eponymous “Virus Inhumanity” song, a tune that begins with soothing riffs while the vocals grunt and shriek in the background before the song transitions to marching beats and a pretty effective chorus. This is one song that slams your face against the window and forces you to see what we, as humans, are doing to our beautiful planet. The EP ends with “7 Sins, Pt. 1” and “7 Sins, Pt. 2.” Part 1 is the slower and more atmospheric track of the two while Part 2 is more straightforward but at their cores, both songs have a similar style and structure.

While Virus Inhumanity’s style is certainly solid at its core and while they have made a well-produced and crisp sounding EP, some of the songs on “Infectious” are too long (especially the opener) and at times their material lacks some of the necessary punch and finesse to make it really stand out. What I do like the most about their current material are the varied, well-spoken vocals, smooth guitar solos and their blend of distorted groove and melodic death metal. Virus Inhumanity certainly isn’t a 1-trick pony but their best tricks are a bit spread too thin. I believe they’re better off with shorter and more concise songs that better amplify their groove & death strengths. Strengths that remind me of classic acts like Pantera, Lamb Of God and Machine Head.

The artwork of Virus Inhumanity’s “Infectious” is a hand-drawn image of a plague doctor holding a gasmasked baby in her arms while standing in a place full of radiation, smoke fumes and contaminated soils. While I believe that the artwork would’ve looked even better in color, I do see it as a striking visual metaphor of how one generation of plague-ridden people raises another generation which will have to suffer through the same toxic pollution and destruction which we, as mankind, have created throughout the years. And the songs on “Infectious” themselves follow that same theme of humanity being the only real plague on this planet.

My favorite tracks on the EP are “Baptized By Fire” and “Virus Inhumanity.” Both songs, in their own way, show the band as capable of producing engaging songs with good pacing, powerful riffs, attention-grabbing vocals, philosophical lyrics and an end-of-the-world feel.

While “Darkness Came” started off strong it did feel too long and too much of a mixed bag and therefore not as good an opening track. I can understand that Virus Inhumanity wanted to showcase as much of their musical traits as possible right from the start but I’m of the belief that the best opening tracks are intense and don’t overstay their welcome.

7 plague generations out of 10. Despite a lackluster opening track and lacking some truly raw power here and there, Virus Inhumanity’s debut EP shows a promising band that grinds and slams their groove & death metal into your head while also delivering a profound message about the current, life-threatening state of our planet and the profound role that we, humankind, have played in that.