Review Summary: Slam taken to its logical extreme.
How do you think a slam metal song is structured? Maybe a few slam breakdowns a song, with fast riffs building up to it. Torture, before a one man gorenoise project, came out of left field with a full band and a strange slam album.
Let’s get into how Torture does slam. Almost every single riff is a slam riff. Slam riffs chug and plod along, eventually pausing and going to the main slam breakdown, all with K.K’s ultra low gurgles. Speaking of K.K, it really seems like the album is drums first and slams second. His drums are dynamic and keep the songs from growing stale, all while doing gurgles so low that it would make Ruben Rosas blush. And by no means are the slams lacking. They make sure to add some very odd time signatures to keep the listener on their toes and again, keep the music from growing stale.
And the runtime is something else. Almost an entire hour of pure slam riffs is a daunting test of endurance, yet the band is smart enough to know how much to add. Of course, this doesn't stop people from plain not getting it, with some going as far to call it a ‘snoozefest’. I found it dull at first, but still respected the ideas. But in one case it does overstay its welcome.
Finale III. “Crosses (White)” is a 16 minute holy minimalism track that doesn't change much throughout it’s runtime. Pretty bold move to throw yet another curveball, but that doesn't mean it hits. I like the loop that goes on, but 16 minutes is just way too long. If it was 10 or less I could give it a pass. After that, some demo tracks of some of the songs on the album are thrown in. It comes across that Torture really fumbled the ending of the album, which is a shame since there’s so much buildup to it.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Hell no. This album is for absolute slam freaks who can’t get enough, who would sit through almost an hour of pure slam riffs. There is some variation here and there, but if you want more then this is not the album. I’m fine with every song sounding the same since I haven't really heard slam like this. It doesn't try to be off the walls in its approach, just a concept that feels strange enough in the stagnant genre that is slam death metal.
Recommended Tracks: Blinding Arrogance, Finale II. “Wounded/For P.K Reprise (Blue)”, Legacy of Devastation.
