AN NCS PREMIERE: HUMANITY ZERO — “FORGIVENESS DEVOURED”

(written by Islander)

The musical evolution of the Greek band Humanity Zero continues. In its early phases and continuing through many albums the band embraced death metal in the vein of such bands as Death, Hypocrisy, Unleashed, Nile, and Immolation. By the time of the 2017 album Withered In Isolation, the reference points included My Dying Bride, Tiamat, Amorphis, Katatonia, and Ophis. The movement in a doomed direction was even more pronounced on the following album Proselytism as the music became slower still and even more nightmarish.

And now Humanity Zero brings us their sixth album, Cursed Be The Gift Of Life. It comes almost seven years after Proselytism. Think of what has happened to the world during those seven years, and maybe you can begin to guess about the direction of this band’s new music.

But there’s no need for guesswork: As a tangible sign of what those long intervening years have wrought in Humanity Zero‘s increasingly frightening and doomed musical interests, today we premiere a song from the new album named “Forgiveness Devoured“.

Humanity Zero has always been the creative vehicle of multi-instrumentalist Dimitris “Dimon’s Night” Sakkas. Over the years since the band’s founding in 2003 he has been joined by a changing array of vocalists and occasionally by other musicians. On the new album he performs guitars, bass, and drums, and this time he is re-joined by vocalist Panagiotis “Kydoimos” Semkos, who was also the vocal participant in Proselytism.

The labels that are set to release the new album describe it as “the most sinister, punishing and heavy material the band ever recorded,” “slow, deep and soul-devouring,” “a descent into the cosmic abyss.” “Forgiveness Devoured” validates those descriptions across its more than 10-minute runtime.

In the opening moments dismal notes ring and miserably writhe. The music seems to wretchedly weep, joined by heavily moaning bass tones and slowly staggering beats. The abyssal howls of Kydoimos add to the music’s encroaching atmosphere of desolation but also create fear.

The riffing also evolves in frightening directions, becoming more menacing and coldly imperious. It slowly chugs and jolts as the drums methodically crack the whip, and that head-moving sequence paves the way for a guitar solo that eerily slithers and whines. The ensuing lead-guitar melody sounds like agony transmuted into sound. The vocals remain harrowing.

Further changes lie ahead. The song staggers at the pace of funeral doom. An elegant gothic organ melody adds a different dimension of haunting eeriness. A dual-guitar harmony creates sensations both stricken and esoteric. Those granite-heavy and ice-cold chugs return, giving listeners one more chance to move their heads as they get crushed.

No light shines. The vocals bring horror. The melodies return anguish. Funeral death/doom is ascendant.

Cursed Be The Gift Of Life will be co-released by Satanath Records and Rude Awakening Records on October 15th, in a jewel-box CD edition with an 8-page booklet (limited to 500 copies), and it’s available as a digital download too. They recommend it for fans of such bands as Shape Of Despair, Evoken, and Asunder.

Below, we’re also including a stream of the new album’s title song.

PRE-ORDER:
https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat405-humanity-zero-cursed-be-the-gift-of-life-2025
https://rudeawakening-records.blogspot.com/

HUMANITY ZERO:
https://humanityzero.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063621271362