Mmm, piercing Norwegian black metal with a nasty Swedeath kick — wonderful. That’s right. Tortorum have got the perfect fuck-it-all attitude to go along with their caustic blend of precious metals. Extinctionist, their first release, spews forth fury and intensity effectively, but then, what else would one expect from a group named Tortorum?
Black metal may have a smaller tendency to become convoluted in comparison to other genres, but it’s still got its various off-shoots and oddities (oddity being a relative term). Tortorum fall pretty much within the standard, no-frills variety though, as mentioned before, the death and even thrash elements sneak in. The end result makes Extinctionist a fucking tough, gritty and yet (dare I say it) catchy affair. It’s also the opposite of boring.
Tracks of note within Extinctionist‘s, uh, notes include the blasting bonanza that is “In Pestilence Majesty,” an evil track of maximum intensity that goes through a couple of stylistic shifts in its duration. “All Mercy Devoured” is a bit slower and more melodic (think Belphegor maybe, only not in a silly way), but still bursting with nastiness and evil riffs. Following it up is “Kindling the World Conflagration,” a track with a slow, sinister groove and plenty of uneasy dissonance. Toward the end of the album, “Mother Infirmity” wreaks chaos on the senses in the form of a full-out black metal assault. Worthy of mention also is the excellently titled “Fucking Worthless.”
There are no words of wisdom to be found at the end of this review, simply a statement of belief that the flame of black metal is long from being snuffed out. Tortorum (along with numerous others) are working to prevent this. Extinctionist is a shining example of the fire still alive within the black metal community.
(7/10 Jodi Michael)
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