I wouldn’t normally start a review like this but with Humavoid I kinda feel obligated of doing so because in any way is this review going to be an easy one. So here is how Humavoid describes themselves with their own words:

“Dual scream attack, high tech eight-string riffs and jazz fusion synth hooks packed in a determined polyrhythmic groove!

After a few smaller releases, the upcoming album LIDLESS, due August 21, 2020, will present Humavoid as its most aggressive to date, but also further reveal the band’s experimental side.”

I want you to focus on the first sentence and you will get a fraction of what’s there to come because I guarantee you a once in a lifetime journey towards music that pretty much challenges everything you’ve known about music so far. I always believe to give credit where credit is due and with Humavoid and their album “Lidless” you can’t do anything but to take your hat off for the fact that there are no compromises. I mean only the band members could verify this and I could ask them but I also want to believe this is the case that they made this album EXACTLY how they wanted to make it, without compromises, without anyone whispering over their shoulders how this and that should be.

And yes it’s borderline impossible to find a commercial slot for this type of music but maybe that is the thing! Not to compare in any way but I don’t think anyone expected Jinjer to become as big as they have become with their music which isn’t the easiest either. But regardless, Humavoid won’t let you go easy with their debut album “Lidless“. In fact I strongly urge everyone to pay attention as much as possible while listening the album because it is an experience more than anything else. It is a challenge to the listener. I’ve played it now over 20 times and it still challenges me. But I came to silent agreement with myself that I won’t become more ready to write the review than I already am regardless of how many times I listen to it.

The album starts with a song “Fortune For Demise” and it’s first 40 seconds gives you pretty good idea where Humavoid will take you. State of confusion and surrealism as you try to grab onto something but just when you think you got it they throw a hook and you are again trying to grasp what is this you are listening. And if you weren’t confused enough you damn sure will be on the 3-minute mark where nothing makes any sense. But don’t take this as anything negative! You wanted a challenge and you got yourself one. And as the song ends in little under 5 minutes you wonder if you got anything from it. Probably just the urge to listen to it again and hope you can grab on more things.

Second song is the title song “Lidless” and this is what they released as a video too and you can check that below.

 

“Lidless” was a perfect choice for a video cause it’s perhaps the “easiest” for the listener to get into. And yes if you didn’t know, Humavoid is a female fronted band with the vocalist Suvimarja Halmetoja who handles the vocals and keyboards. But don’t get fooled with the fact that she is a female. There won’t be any princess material coming in fact she looks and especially sounds like a woman that would eat you up and spit you out for breakfast. And that is what I love about this band as there are basically two vocalists. Yes Suvimarja is the main one but Niko Kalliojärvi does some vocals or should I say growls too. But so does Suvimarja! And you can see and hear that on the “Lidless” video. And this growl and growl thing really works! There are moments where Suvimarja sings clean vocals too and that just shows she is a versatile singer.

I will lift the third song “Aluminum Rain” up for two reasons: In this song Suvimarja sings some clean vocals and when the clean vocals are needed it works beautifully. But the main reason to mention this song in particular is the visiting musician Iiro Rantala who is a very known Jazz pianist in Finland and he brings his own madness to this song with the piano and again it works like a clockwork.

Everyone who reads my reviews knows I don’t usually go so much in depth and in detail with each song. I am more like this general vibe kind of person. I want to treat albums as a whole and not just bunch of songs and if my review gets good points it means songs work cause otherwise the album isn’t in my opinion a complete package and therefore doesn’t deserve so high points. Humavoid delivers a complete package and it’s crazy how close to perfection can something so chaotic be. But these people know their boundaries and when they composed songs for “Lidless” album they decided that such thing as boundaries doesn’t exist and as an outcome we have a fucking KICKASS 46 minutes of insanity that could only be brought by these crazy progressive-aggressive professionals. Each musician is a work of art with their instrument(s) and what may feel like a complex and chaotic atmosphere somehow turns into this very controlled chaos that leaves you craving for more.

Humavoid has thrown a challenge. Do you dare to accept that challenge? My opinion: If you won’t, it’s your loss cause you will miss something that in my opinion everyone should give it a go. You decide whether it’s for you or not but a work of art like this deserves to be heard by everyone at least once.

Tracklist for Lidless

1.Fortune For Demise
2.Lidless
3.Aluminum Rain
4.Inside 1
5.Matter
6.What You Hide
7.Inside 2
8.The Breathing Method 9.Undercurrent
10.Drywall Cracks

Humavoid are

Suvimarja Halmetoja – Vocals & keys
Niko Kalliojärvi – Guitar & vocals
Mikki Rousi – Bass
Heikki Malmberg – Drums