Torture Killer – Swarm

Quick recap In 2002, Finlands Torture Killer (the band) forms, naming themselves after Torture Killer (the song), written and performed by Six Feet Under. After beginning as a Six Feet Under cover band, they eventually begin writing songs that sound like Six Feet Under, and release 2003s For Maggots to Devour. Sometime between then and now, things got even weirder as legendary death metal vocalist chris Barnes (of, you guessed it, Six Feet Under) actually joined the band (which, as youll remember, was named after a song his old band recorded).

Confused? Dont be. Torture Killers second album Swarm! picks up where the original left off. Ive said publicly many times that I dont care for death metal, but I shouldve been more specific. Apparently I dont care for technical death metal (those bands that play a million notes a minute over an endless supply of blast beats. Torture Killer, however, I like. Musically, the band is rooted in the mid-paced groove metal of the mid-90s. Dont get me wrong; its heavy, just not fast. The groove-oriented songs give the musicians room to breath and the songs space to pump and crush.

The lyrics are typical gore-filled fodder. Tracks like Obsessed with Homicide, Multiple Counts of Murder and Cannibal Gluttony probably wont appear on Christmas albums anytime soon. Of course, most of Barnes vocals are so gutteral that listeners will be hard pressed to make out any of the words, although Im pretty sure I heard the phase I stabbed you in your anus at one point.

While Torture Killers sophomore effort doesnt raise any bars, it doesnt lower them either. Those looking for a blood-filled romp through 35 minutes of chunky riffs will enjoy the bands offering.

01. Swarm!
02. Forever Dead
03. A Funeral for the Masses
04. Multiple Counts of Murder
05. Obsessed with Homicide
06. Sadistic
07. Cannibal Gluttony
08. I Killed You
09. Heading Towards the Butchery
10. A Violent Scene of Death

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