This review is kind of special, given how I have done some work with this young thrash band in the past. Not that I want to toot my own horn, but when guitarist Carlos Paramo came to me seeking a logo I was happy to oblige him. Not long after I did the cover to the band’s first demo “The Undead Armada” in 2010. With that being said, the music was rough around the edges, but you could tell they were about to come into their own.
Four years later, Human Stew has persevered, adding a new singer and a second guitarist to their line-up. The end result is rather stunning, when you factor in how cohesive they sound on their second EP – Killing on 23. There’s no doubt the band is going places and if they make it big, I will be glad to say I knew them when…well you get the picture.
As for the music, the album contains 5 tracks and a cover of Metallica’s “Blackened” from the Justice album. All the songs are short, finely tuned thrashers with mid-paced tempos and piling on heaping amounts of aggression to match. My favorite tracks are “Killing on 23” and “Confined in Black” with an honorable mention to “R.O.T.” for its infectious stomp. There really isn’t a bad song on this release and you can tell all the musicians have grown leaps and bounds in their craft.
My only drawback is the vocals of Carlos Hernandez who needs a bit of work to bring his vocals out more and to the forefront. His singing abilities have limited range, although he does give it his best on the cover of “Blackened”. Hopefully he will be able to improve further on down the line, but otherwise the band is in great shape at this point. What they need now is to get out there on the road and hone their craft with as many live gigs as they can get.
Human Stew has the potential to break out like the way Diamond Plate did a few years ago, so this new EP is definitely proof of their sincerity as a band. Again, maybe in a few years I will be able to say I knew them when…only time will tell though.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
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