Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Torture Killer
Label: Dynamic Arts Records
Release: 2009
Runtime: 29:09
Rating: 3.5/5
Finnish death metallers Torture Killer first caught the attention of the wider (death) metal crowd when ex-Cannibal Corpse and current Six Feet Under growler Chris Barnes took over vocal duties on the band’s second album. I can’t say whether that was a good move or a bad one, since the Finns already sounded a lot like SFU, but Swarm did get the band noticed. Then again, you can’t really blame Barnes’ guest spot for the resemblance to the American death metallers either, since Torture Killer started out as a Six Feet Under cover band, and they even borrowed the band’s name from a track on the album Maximum Violence.
For the third time, original vocalist Juri Sallinen returns to the band, and despite not being exactly unique, the guy has managed to prove they’re not just a second-rate Six Feet Under clone. There’s still plenty of Barnes in Juri’s deep, brutal growl, but Sewers offers more original riffs and even catchier groove parts than Swarm. Expect a style firmly rooted in the Florida old-school death metal of forefathers like Deicide, Malevolent Creation and, obviously, Cannibal Corpse, and with it a thick, massive sound and intense, aggressive songs that hit you right away without overcomplicating things. Torture Killer deliver a primal death metal sound built mainly on massive, wicked riffs oozing groove, crushing drums with a gluttonous assault on the double bass, and brutal, deep growled vocals. In fact, the whole sound of the album hangs on the low, diabolical tones from the bottom end of the guitar neck, which successfully conjure up a dark atmosphere. The punch is occasionally broken up by inventive lead breaks and creepy melodies, especially in Scourging at the Pillar and Art of Impalement, which shines mostly thanks to its wicked riffing.
Torture Killer have managed to record a very solid death metal album, and the biggest knock against it is a lack of originality. Even though the Finns don’t bring anything new to the death metal table, Sewers is a real breather from the whining of Finnish gothic bands a la Nightwish and countless Children of Bodom clones, and given the limits and worn-out state of the genre, it’s actually a very good album. Thanks to its short runtime, it never gets monotonous, which could easily have happened on a longer record given how similar the riffs are. Sewers is definitely a solid recommendation for fans of punchy, mid-tempo death metal.
Lineup
Juri Sallinen – vocals
Jari Laine – guitar, backing vocals
Tuomas Karppinen – guitar
Kim Torniainen – bass
Tuomo Latvala – drums
Tracklist
1. Crypts
2. I Bathe In Their Blood
3. The Art Of Impalement
4. By Their Corpse
5. Coffins
6. Rats Can Sense The Murder
7. Scourging At The Pillar
8. Sewers
