Human Debris - Life Off Formation

This is the third release from this melodic death metal band from Germany, their last outing was a nice introduction to the band. This album further develops the style and adds a sparkle of quality to the proceedings also. The first trio of tracks sit in the typical melo-death metal sphere, all musicially prowess and tight with song structures that are complex but very effective. When you get to ‘Rotation’, the band exhumes a lot more emotion than aggression alone, stylistically, vocally and everything in between. In fact when the aforementioned track gets light, I am reminded of Anathema, also adding a female vocal brings even more out, although it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise using such light and shade when you see what the cover track is at the end of the release.

‘Ocean Park’ gets things back on the heavy path, perhaps the vocal is a touch too guttural, but it still works. ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ uses all the blueprints of the sub-genre to good effect, I still have misgivings about the style as a whole, but the band themselves are damn fine at what they do. Adding a few different elements is what this style needs for me, Human Debris seem to have a lot of creativity in their minds when it comes to song arrangement.

"Life Off Formation" isn’t a surprise, but it’s a very good inclusion to the melodic death metal archive and what is more commendable is that the band have successfully attempted a few different elements not normally picked up in the current crop of bands creating this style of music. A solid effort, a much more forward thinking release than their last release from a couple of years ago.


  1. Anatoxin 
  2. Life Off Formation  
  3. Love Is Not Enough  
  4. Rotation  
  5. Shattered Head  
  6. Ocean Park  
  7. Chalysery  
  8. 'Til Death Do Us Part  
  9. Embrace The Former  
  10. The Red In The Sky Is Ours (cover At The Gates)


Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Jan 14, 2017

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