You ever listened to death metal? You ever listened to death metal…on WEED? Okay, maybe you don’t get my hilarity there in playing off of the twenty dollar bill scene with Jon Stewart in 1998’s cult classic, Half Baked, but chances are you know exactly what I’m referencing, especially, if you’re one to have, or still do, partake in the devil’s lettuce.   I won’t lie to you guys and gals, I have and still am a big supporter of ol’ Mary Jane and her illustrious benefits. In fact, me and the green goddess’ relationship goes back just as far as my relationship with death metal itself, which is to say, quite a long fucking time, as I’m no spring chicken anymore. Though fret not my friends, for if you fancy yourself a death metal fan, but never cared for the imbibing of the magic dragon, you will still garner quite a bit of enjoyment from Boston’s brutally baked four-piece, Inhalement, and their latest EP, Eternally Stoned.

Yeah, I know, weed and metal pairing up together is clearly nothing new. Not only have the originators Black Sabbath covered this in 1971’s classic “Sweet Leaf”, but we have a whole slew of bands that fall under the stoner metal tag/genre, as well as some that make it their sole lyrical and/or visual representation for their music i.e. Bongzilla, Weedeater, Bongripper, and of course the clever and extremely punny, Cannabis Corpse. So while there’s nothing really new to a band such as Inhalement and their buddah laced shtick, their quality crafted brutality will undoubtedly, have both clear headed and red eyed fans alike clamoring to hear more from the group. Formerly known as Toke, the band released one album, Fifty Ton Nug, back in 2016 before changing their name to the more appropriate moniker Inhalement and releasing the Grotesque Inhalement EP last year.

I’ve got to hand it to the Inhalement boys and give them credit where credit is due. The band does an excellent job at melding both East and West coast influences of brutality in crafting their semi-slammy and somewhat technical brand of death metal. Coming off as  a stellar clash of Pathology, Deeds of Flesh and Exhumed meeting Internal Bleeding, Cannibal Corpse, and even  a bit of Immolation, for what turns out to be one hell of a smoke sesh, is quite an impressive feat. At just four tracks, one of which was actually recycled from their debut album under their time as Toke, Eternally Stoned flys by pretty quickly, yet manages to dish out quite the beatdown, leaving one needing more than just a medicinal puff or two to regain a bit of composure.

From album opener “MJ Ultra”, with its powerful groove and creative lyrical take, to the closing title track,”Eternally Stoned”, which is a tad lower and slower than its original recording under the aforementioned Toke banner, and even manages to come off with a bit of a flair of Fight, due to its tempo change, Inhalement is a band superbly, firing on all cylinders. One can hardly contain oneself from the pit inducing riffage of “Drowning in Reclaim” or deny its heavier than all get out fortitude, especially at the song’s 2:27 mark, where the fat grooved breakdown is so fucking heavy it’ll ground your ass, no matter how damn high you are. Also impressive is how much the band manages to pull out something from so little, as evidenced in the fairly straightforward, brutal as hell, Pathology-like grooves found in the quick, in and out, two minute beatdown of “Unsmokeable”. True, Inhalement isn’t necessarily anything you haven’t heard before, but it’s definitely nothing you won’t mind hearing again.

Good, solid songwriting, a good production and mix, great presentation, and some great performances all propel Eternally Stoned into quite a stellar little EP that gets in, kicks your ass and slams you around a bit, and then gets the fuck out…kinda like some good bud should do. All in all, I have no complaints with Inhalement and Eternally Stoned. Maybe a couple of added solos would’ve been nice, as “MJ Ultra” is the only track with an actual bonafide guitar lead, but to be fair, there are a lot of other antics going on within the material and nothing is lost or made detrimental from a lack of leads. I’m just one of those guys that think a well placed solo can be the cherry on top of everything. Me likey leads, what can I say?

Take into account that Eternally Stoned was just recorded, mixed, and mastered in March and is already out and about for your brutal death metal partakings is even that much more impressive. Hopefully, the band will keep up the procreative prolificness when it comes to harvesting a future full-length, for as it stands, Inhalement is one band you’ll want to keep your squinty red eyes on.

[Visit the band's website]

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