HUMANITY IS CANCER hailing from Cleveland, Ohio were formed in 2013 by Thomas Haywood. Although their debut EP was just released, the material was written mostly in 2014 and 2015. All band members are involved in a number of projects such as ABHORRENT, GRAVE PLAGUE, BRO JOVI, or NUNSLAUGHTER which may explain why it took a while to finally release "Humanity Is Cancer." The band play a mix of classical and modern Death Metal. The EP was released via Cleveland label Redefining Darkness Records which are specialized in Black, Death, Doom, and Thrash Metal. "Humanity Is Cancer" has a length of more than 17 minutes.

It all starts with "Cancer Is Humanity" and it shows the direction right from the start: hard-hitting guitar riffs, double-bass drums, deafening screams and low growling and a mid-tempo head-banging rhythm interrupted by short blast beat breaks. The sound is hammering and grim, the drumming relentless. There is a lead guitar solo midway through that fits perfectly to the blast beat attack and the overall mood of the song. The opener is concluded by a stomping rhythm and Noah Buchanan screaming the message. "Cancer Is Humanity" is also available on YouTube from the band's page. The link is given below.

"Harlot" continues with the onslaught and Lyle Cooper proves that he is really a beast on the drums with a combination of blistering blast beats and double-bass sequences. The rhythm remains mid-tempo with some slower breaks. The lead guitar solo contributes excellently to the song and vocals come straight from the abyss. "The Punishment Due" is more complex in structure. It has a fast opening rhythm that is distorted and includes a few short breaks. The guitar riffs are powerful and heavy. Noah Buchanan shows his versatility of growling and screaming with background screams intensifying the vocals. There is another excellent lead guitar solo during the middle break. "The Punishment Due" is the fastest song on "Humanity Is Cancer."

"Beyond Salvation" returns to the mid-tempo rhythm interrupted by a few slow breaks. Especially the slow parts of the song sound gloomy and in particular the lead guitar sequences contribute to overall dark and grim atmosphere of the song. Interestingly, the drums are not so much in the focus here, the guitars and vocals are the main contributors for heaviness, darkness, and brutality. Needless to mention the lead guitar solo here. While generally lead guitar solos in Death Metal, if used, often not seem to contribute to the quality of the songs, HUMANITY IS CANCER make them really work and they are an asset in each of their songs.

It may have taken a long time to release the self-named debut EP of HUMANITY IS CANCER, but it is a really good one. They play a mixture of various Death Metal elements with a unique style and identity. I especially liked how the guitars, drums, bass, and vocals worked together to create a grim atmosphere and a dark sound. Although the overall structure of the songs is very similar apart from "The Punishment Due," the band is capable to vary their sound sufficiently to provide a very interesting package to listen to. The song writing is excellent and the EP is well produced. The debut EP of HUMANITY IS CANCER should be part of every Death Metal fan's collection and hopefully there will be a full-length release fairly soon.