HUMERROR - Liturgy of the Synthetic Gods

Described as a concept album, dystopic themes of advancing technologies and global societal collapse explore sub-topics of systemic obedience, corrupted beliefs, idolatry and the general decline of humanity and systems of governance. Eleven tracks are welded into 25 minutes of raging fury that sounds sharp and neatly balanced across the EQ spectrums where each element is defined and not muddied across the board.

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With a solid razor-like guitar delivery that churn out an endless supply of tight riffs and gnarly chord changes, they feel strong with a heavy crunch accented by crisp tones and isn’t overly down tuned. Grizzling with high gain and tuned at the lower end, the bass work keeps the heaviness solid and firmly plumbed into the song's groove. On the timing scale, the drums are snappy and nicely centred with blistering high-tempo rolls, brutal double-kicks, fills, and skanky d-beats all bashed out with a metronomic efficiency. Articulating the lyrical messages, the vocals are coarse raspy growls that feel pissed off as if Barney Greenway was channelled into this subjugation. Throw all this together, and the atmosphere and songlines are conveyed with a controlled aggression and a direct quasi-neo-ritualism that feels very addictive and undeniably moreish.

Commencing with the intro, Invocation of the Burned, the Latin dialogue invites us into the forthcoming punishment of Paradog and its high energy grindings that sets the tone for the Vicious Dominion and its subsequent marriages of chunky riffs and insane blast works. Chapel of Chains, Dogma Machines, and Burning the Heaven offer a crushing passage of songs mid-album, and the unrelenting rage doesn’t stop there as the intensity marches onward into Digital Overkill with more pummelling’s, onslaughts and raw fury. State of Parasite takes the tempo down somewhat but not unyielding the band's power in any sense, before the outro Deus Silentum closes out the blaze we’ve just experienced.

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An incendiary album with many notable influences abundant in this sojourn - from Napalm Death, Brujeria, and Terrorizer to Misery Index, Lock Up, Wormrot and Rotten Sound, as are other regional luminaries Dead Vertical are also felt within this soundscape. HUMERROR are a force to be recognised as this album showcases yet again the abundant diversity of extreme metal that Indonesia has on offer. Liturgy of the Synthetic Gods is technically precise, succinctly catchy, and created its own unique blueprint for more brutality as the band's path forges on.

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SCORE 9/10

Reviewed by glennosp