The Finnish band made famous for the appearance of Chris Barnes in their sophomore outing “Swarm” has returned to unleash “Sewers” upon us. Nope, they’re not throwing excrement at us from the stage. Instead, they’re producing thick, chunky riffs in the form of their new release. No longer on Metal Blade records, and with original vocalist Juri Sallinen back in the fray, Torture Killer having turned some heads, now have the opportunity to keep those fans baying for more. And maybe collect some more along the way. Have they done that? Well......yes and no. If you’re an old school Death Metal fan who laps up the kind of mid-paced groove and style that Six Feet Under have produced on their last two albums then look no further, as these boys in “Sewers” will have produced and album that will sate your desire for more groovy mid paced death. However, if you were hoping that “Swarm” was a springboard for an assault on the higher echelons of the Death metal world then you may be disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. “Sewers” is not a bad release; it’s just not that original, varied or showing that much progression.
“Crypts” is your standard mid to fast paced chugger that doesn’t veer too much from their major influences. Personally, I do actually think that this guy’s voice is better than Chris Barnes’ when compared to the recent SFU album, and in fact, the production is pretty damn good in getting the guys the sound that does the music justice.
The melody section a la “Forever Dead” on this album finds itself in the second track “I Bathe in Their Blood”, which in all honesty is a pretty good song and one of the better on the cd.
“Coffins” and “The Art of Impalement” are both tracks that contain some of the trademark chunky and groovy guitar work that made “Swarm” such a popular release and both keep going along the same tracks with that mid-paced assault that relies on full production and repetition of hook laden riffs.
The problem is with Sewers is that after the first ten minutes, it is pretty much the same sort of stuff for the remaining nineteen minutes. As I said earlier, this may not be a problem for most, but be warned; there is not too much separation between the tracks here. “Scourging the Pillar” has a bit more bite amongst the latter tracks on the album and also has another melody section thrown in the middle sections.
Overall, Sewers is an enjoyable romp which is a good companion to SFU’s release only a few months ago, and it is an album which you will quite happily listen to from beginning to end without being too unhappy. The question that will determine the future for Torture Killer is; do they want to be a band that will be remembered as a tribute/fan band that made it good for a while, or do they want to spread their wings and stamp their own identity on a style of death metal that although groovy, cool and heavy as hell, is quickly forgettable - unless you already have that die-hard fan base and are in the higher levels of the genre.
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