- Country: Belgium (Bilzen)
- Genre: Old School Death Metal / Swedish Death Metal / Death ’n’ Roll
- For fans of: Dismember, Entombed, Autopsy, Celtic Frost
Torturerama from Bilzen, Belgium return after several years with their second full-length, “The Elaborate Theatre of the Macabre”. And if there’s something that becomes clear from the first minutes, it’s that the band isn’t interested in making its sound more modern or complex. Here we have old, dirty Death Metal with a strong Swedish smell, plenty of darkness and that early ’90s feel that many of us keep loving.
From the first steps to today
Torturerama started around 2008, having old Death Metal and especially the Swedish sound in mind from the start. Their first EP, “Left as Remains”, was released in 2010 and had plenty of Dismember, but also a more rock mood at several points.
In 2014 came “It Begins at Birth”, where the band started to become heavier and darker, while in 2015 the first full-length arrived, “Close Encounters of the Morbid Kind”. That essentially completed Torturerama’s first period.
After a hiatus that lasted several years, the band returned with lineup changes. The old bassist took over vocals, while a new guitarist and drummer were added. And instead of trying to prove something, they went back even more to their roots.
Death Metal the way it should sound
“Landscapes of the Cursed” opens the album with guitars that strongly carry that old Swedish Death Metal color. There’s also a small dose of Sodom’s Thrash, the vocals are wild and the whole track puts you immediately in the mood.
“Zombie Disposal” moves slower and heavier. Here Torturerama leave more room for the dark side of their sound, without however losing the aggression. It’s one of those tracks that don’t need much speed to give you weight.
On “Reap What You Sow”, though, I find one of the album’s best moments. The guitars have that nice marriage of Celtic Frost and Death ’n’ Roll, while the bass sounds thick and dirty, as it should. It’s a song that has more swing and character and reminds you why Torturerama stood out in their previous releases too.
The same goes for “Repulsive Smut Supreme”, a more mid-tempo track with a punk feel and plenty of darkness. Toward the end it changes face a bit and gives a nice breather before the album continues.
The dark side of the album
In the second half of the album Torturerama lower the tempo more and let the horror element come forward. “Curb Stomp Shake” still keeps the band’s more direct side, but from there on the mood becomes heavier.
“Abracadavra” is one of the most interesting songs, because it doesn’t stay on a single idea. It starts slower and heavier and then opens up more, showing that the band can change tempo without straying from its core sound.
“Get Them Off Me” continues in the same mood, while “Lucid Nightmare” is a fitting closer. Slower, creepier and with a sense that something bad is following you until the last minute.
What I like most about “The Elaborate Theatre of the Macabre” is that Torturerama don’t try to fit everything into their songs. They’ve considerably limited the more melodic and Death ’n’ Roll sides that existed before and let the plain, dirty Death Metal do the work.
The album lasts about 35 minutes, doesn’t wear you out and has enough changes so it doesn’t sound like one long song. The production stays dirty as much as needed, the guitars have the right grit and the vocals fit the mood perfectly.
It isn’t an album for someone looking for something new or experimental. It’s for the one who wants to press play and hear Death Metal that recalls the good old days, without feeling they’re just hearing a band trying to copy the past.
Torturerama know very well what they want to play and this time they do it more simply, more directly and dirtier. And when something like that is done right, not much more is needed.
Tracklist
- Landscapes Of The Cursed – 04:10
- Zombie Disposal – 05:04
- Reap What You Sow – 03:15
- Repulsive Smut Supreme – 04:02
- Curb Stomp Shake – 03:45
- Abracadavra – 05:38
- Get Them Off Me – 03:25
- Lucid Nightmare – 05:33
- Summoned To Conquer The Earth
