Infected Priest / Human Target - Split

Here we have a split from 2 raw Finnish bands who both perform a sort of Old School Death Metal but with Grindcore influences for a very fast, but still enjoyable album. The first half is from five piece Infected Priest who have been around since 2013 and haven’t really done much since their demo from 2017 so 6 years later it is good to hear from them again. Their portion of the split from Death Metal focused label Nihilistic Holocaust is pretty much a new EP of short but pummeling tracks. After a short introduction the music hits hard with ‘Life’ which has a mix of bass driven styled Deicide sounds mixed with much older Cannibal Corpse. The music chugs and pummels along with a mix of low growls in the front and higher pitched warbles in the back, but the guitars and bass and drums are also in the front, so nothing is really lost. The tracks are quick, but true to Grindcore style they are almost minimalistic and have plenty of almost jazzy, technical sections such as the introduction of ‘Needle and Thread.’ Other tracks like ‘Last Rays of Light’ start out more doom laden like Immolation and then speed up, being more drum focused and also adding in some extra layers of groove. Some tracks go by too quickly though like ‘Her Presence’ which lasts less than a minute, so it is hard to enjoy before it ends. For those who like a bit of bass heavy groove, ‘Weapon of Flesh’ is a good closer before moving onto the next band.

The second half is even shorter with five tracks from the more recently formed Human Target. Most of their tracks aren’t really new but released on the Nihilistic Holocaust record to get more exposure as many of them were featured on an earlier 2023 release EP. These guys are a bit more the standard Death Metal group with longer riffs and less chunkier Grindcore sections, but pummel a bit harder on the ears with the multi pronged vocal attack that screeches, growls, and snarls. Tracks are still quick and the quality is a little fuzzier and more demo sounding compared to Infected Priest, but Human Target still sound pretty good for being formed in 2021 with their influences ranging from Morbid Angel to Suffoction. Lots of the tracks have that Morbid Angel swagger to them such as ‘To Kill a Beast.’ The chug along with plenty of drum solo moments, but the guitars have that special fuzzy grind/ whine to them that was appreciated in the early 90s days from the likes of anywhere from Deicide to Morbid Angel to Immolation. Human Target also have a little bit of Six Feet Under groove to them which separates them a bit from their counterparts. While not as technical, tracks like ‘Frankenstein’s Fuckdoll’ have that slow paced churn to them that invokes the slow, but building headbanging fury that doesn’t quite start a mosh pit but still very enjoyable to hear. The same can be said for ‘Necromutilation’ which churns with almost a Satyricon riffage, but the drums are a bit more slow paced (almost buried) in the riffs so they aren’t quite as enjoyable as on some of the other tracks.

Overall the split between both bands is fast. Very few tracks go past the 2 minute mark so for 13 tracks one is barely going to get 20 minutes of music. However, it is a good showcase for both bands and lets listeners get more of a glimpse into what they are about. Those who like more Grindcore heavy based Death Metal will enjoy a well earned return from Infected Priest while those who like a more Death n’ Roll inspired group with some Old School touches, the newer Human Target will be appealing. While both bands have a somewhat minimalistic approach that is guitar and vocal heavy, there are plenty of moments of quiet between both where the bass and drums get their time, so those who like a fuzzy blur of riffs and savage voices with enjoy both these Finnish groups for the short time they get to hear them.

3 / 5 STARS