Human Rejection - Decrepit to Insanity (Pathologically Explicit Recordings; 2009)

Human Rejection are a band that's amassed a relatively sizable fan base since their debut album Torture of Decimation hit the scene in 2007. I think their success has to do with their ability to write incredibly catchy slams combined with a smooth production which made Torture very easy and fun to listen to. Human Rejection have now released their second album Decrepit to Insanity. This album sees Human Rejection lose some of their accessibility, but they make up for it by increasing the brutality. The Human Rejection that people (including myself) loved is still here, but it has evolved.

Human Rejection play a lot of very groovy and bouncy slams and complement with faster, more melodic riffs. The beginning of Suffocate Castration is an example of a groovy riff that just pulls you in. It's a pretty standard formula for slam, but Human Rejection are very good at making it memorable and engaging. There is a uniqueness and an energy to Human Rejection that is not often found slam and its part of why I like them so much. Decrepit to Insanity is not quite as catchy as its predecessor but sounds more brutal to me. The riffs are a little denser and the vocalist Alex has decided to go with high gutturals as opposed to pig squeals.

Decrepit to Insanity has also added a lot of stop-start riffs to the mix. I think these work really well and fit right in with the rest of Human Rejection's repertoire of riffs. I know there is a lot of skepticism in the scene about the use of stop-start riffs because of their association with hardcore, but the ones on this album are pure slam death. They are basically good slams, just with some open space added into them. In this way I am reminded of Human Mastication's great album Grotesque Mastication Of Putrid Innards (review). What I like about this style is that it allows the other instruments to be showcased. A common motif is for the guitars to play a slam and then stop, have the drums play a fill and then to slam again. The end of the song Infernal Hostility is a great example of this.

I don't know if I can say this is a better album than Torture of Decimation, but I also wouldn't say it's worse. Decrepit to Insanity is not as accessible or initially exciting as Torture of Decimation, but at the same time I think there's a little more to it. If this is your first experience with Human Rejection I would recommend getting both albums as they are both high quality.