Demo-lition Derby: Humanity Falls

Humanity Falls
Promo 2009
New York/New Jersey death metal crew Humanity Falls have it 180 degrees wrong on their song “No Room for Ingenuity.” The band brings ingenuity by the bucketsful on two song demo Promo 2009, but for all their technical chops and fret wizardry, all that boundless drive just never seems to ground itself in anything resembling traditional song structure. “No Room for Ingenuity” is all beetling riffs and cacophonous fret slides over ADD drumming. But it feels like a string of unrelated musical passages that never cohere into a genuine listening experience until the awesomely insectile closing riff that’s memorable largely as a call-back to the skittering noise of Discordance Axis’ “Ruin Trajectory.”

Humanity Falls – “No Room for Ingenuity”

Second song “To Have or to Be” hews closer to something like a traditional song structure. Where “No Room for Ingenuity” never took the time to develop any of its myriad musical moments, “To Have or to Be” latches on to a single expression – like its central circular riff but rides it so hard and so long it loses all impact.
This breed of technical metal demands close scrutiny for the fullest appreciation of its legerdemain, but the demo’s rough production turns everything into a featureless blur, which also hampers the overall effect. Humanity Falls are clearly talented musicians, but they could benefit from an honest editor who is willing to trim the fat, letting the choicest moments of their tech-driven songs shine.