It’s been a while since I have put quill to parchment having been busy doing other things that are far less interesting and involve proper work, rather than flouncing about casting off prose and witty bon moots to remind myself that I used to be relevant to some extent. That said, during my travels via Prague, Dublin and Farringdon (yes, a latter-day Phileas Fogg am I) I have been listening to various musical endeavours as I pounded the cobbled streets of Prague taking in the remnants of Pantera being resurrected via a judiciously sauced Phil Anselmo, playing a jukebox set of yesterday that just about transported me back to A-Level common rooms and various grotty Wetherspoons pubs in the North London of 1994. Still a lot of what is currently being piped in my lug holes has been on the lighter end of my palette of musical colours including bands such as Shiner, Life & Times, SOM and other celestial, glacial and ethereal musical endeavours that have left me feeling centred and zen. So, given this is being written on a warm and desperately summery Friday morning, what would be the perfect start to a day you may ask? Well, you couldn’t have picked a more incongruous starter for ten. Hailing from disparate parts of Russia, Spain, and France, this debut full length effort from Tortured, could not be more the on the nose from a death metal perspective and it really does do what it says on the tin (which is filled of course with body parts, sharp knives and various wet innards that are slopping out over the side of said can).

This is death metal that is so unapologetic, that it’s almost apologising for its temerity. These songs could not adhere any closer to the death metal blueprint even if they dressed themselves up as Cannibal Corpse, dipped themselves in pig blood and called themselves ‘Death Metal Genre Genuflection’. This may sound like I’m damming Tortured with feint prise, but I’m not. This is a refreshing (if it can be called that) in its obviously hero worship of the good and the great of this technical and often po-faced genre, although given song titles such as ‘Bathing in Pus’, ‘Boiled to Death’ and ‘Devouring What’s Left of You’ this may suggest that their collective tongues are well within their eviscerated cheeks.

Speeding through the tracks, the album does not once stray from the path well-trodden. This is honest as the day is long death metal, that follows the DM template to the letter. Obviously with the gore-tinged seasoning here, the vocals are suitable growled (think Chris Barnes in his prime) all gruff and growled whilst straying into piggy squeaks and squeals every now and then. The impressive vocals are lain upon a trivet of overdriven, crunchy guitars and some technically impressive speed-balling drums that are all produced to fuckery, sounding huge and monstrous and showcase how bands on tiny or non-existent budgets, can produce bodies of work that are sonically and production wise up there with the biggest bands in the world thanks to cheaply available software and technical know-how. The pace and tempo don’t stray too far from heads down blast beats and sledging guitars but as with a lot of bands within this niche, it’s when the pace slackens off slightly that you find the real juicy morsels that the band have to offer up. It’s in these slower moments (and I do run the risk of repeating myself here) that you feel the true heart of the band lies from a musicality perspective.

On the face of it, there’s nothing particularly new and ground-breaking on offer here, but such is the sheer ferocity, technical and musical proficiency, and unapologetic adherence to the death metal genre credo, that it would be churlish to be anything but effusive in terms of praise for this debut album. Its well-played, well written, well produced and it has the usual genre accoutrements in terms of grotesque gore drenched cover art and lyrical content. Question is, would I listen to this again and you know what, I probably will. It’s nothing new, but it’s a breath of fresh (fetid) air. Not sure I can quite bring this review to a suitable conclusion and put my finger on why this has appealed to me as much as it has, maybe it’s a pallet cleanser to some of the lighter musical content I have been exposed to over the last few weeks, or it has simply caught me in a good mood.

Whatever it is (probably a combination of the two), this is an album of nine, razor sharp, blood soaked, death metal bangers.

(8/10 Nick Griffiths)

https://www.facebook.com/torturedband

https://comatosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/genetically-engineered-monstrosity