Inhalement, Eternally Stoned review (Horror Pain Death Gore Productions 2020)

The smoke is rising out of Boston and a barrage of metal aggression follows it with the new EP from Inhalement.

There is not a lot of widely dispersed information about Inhalement. They have a Facebook page (link below). They (most of the band, at least) performed as Toke previously and released Fifty Ton Nug in 2016. As Inhalement, they released Grotesque Inhalement last year (you can hear it on Spotify). One thing you should know is that, even though the name of the band and the title of the new CD make you think this is stoner/sludge music, it is not – this is death metal. On the riffy side of the street, sure, but it is grisly.

There are four songs on Eternally Stoned, averaging in the three minute range. “MJ Ultra” is the eye opener, with a few seconds of a misleading whisper at the start followed by a wall of charging metal sound. It plays like a conquering army overwhelming an inferior opponent, then looking back to gloat. The piercing lead break is the planted flag. “Unsmokeable” is, if anything, even more searching and urgent. “Drowning In Reclaim” starts with a deep draw and lays out a few homages to classic metal tropes. The title track closes, and it is a banger with big riffs and a dramatic wind-down. It all happens fast, but you can always light up and listen to it again. Good times. Recommended.