Vehemency
Even though I could be said to be a sucker for Finnish black metal, there most definitely are bands that also disappoint. Inhumane Deathcult brings some very basic, sinister black metal on their second output On Behalf of Satan, and while simple elements can create something great, this album is definitely lacking anything spectacular. The inspiring cover art isn’t enough to cover for the somewhat tiring 39 minutes of pretty well produced devilish black metal.
The best featues here reside in the vocal department: Xul’s output is truly demonic, and one of the only things differentiating Inhuman Deathcult from all the other black metal bands in this field. This is accompanied by deeply Satanic lyrics which are a nice read. Proper standout tracks are conspicuously absent, though Inhumane Deathcult seems to be at its best when playing in the mid-tempo range, as the Craft-like ”I Am Thy Grief” provides. Otherwise the album sounds a bit too tame to evoke feelings or thoughts in me. Sound-wise, the album is professional albeit I wouldn’t mind if it sounded a bit rougher. As a static 39-minute piece of power chord delivery, the album lacks dynamics.
I mostly focused on the negative sides of On Behalf of Satan, but the truth is that the album is still an enjoyable listen, but nothing really stands out. I am a bit unsure how much longevity this one has, but perhaps the upcoming third album (which is under construction at the moment I believe) will make things right.