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No, this has nothing to do with that created-for-Saturday-morning-Spider-man-cartoon-enemy composed of bees much the way long time villain Sandman was composed of sand grains. Instead this is Death Metal madman and marijuana medic Chris Barnes stretching his wings ever so little and joining forces with a group of some of Finland's finest Death Metal merchants. Torture Killer, the band, took their name from a Six Feet Under song and must've thought they were smoking something strange when they were contacted in 2004 by Mr. SFU his damned self. That feeling must've been greatly magnified when Captain Cannabis again contacted them in 2005 and joined the band "full time." I can only imagine what the rest of the SFU guys thought of this "full time" statement, never mind the "these guys are some of the best musicians I have ever been involved with" line he delivered in the same press release.
Regardless of any potential drama, Torture Killer started out as a *surprise* cover band that mined the territory of Allen West in both SFU and Obituary. On this record they have clearly stayed within that realm, offering nothing really new, but killing nonetheless. The music is an almost by-the-numbers affair recapturing that brand of SFU/Obituary madness although a sense of melody creeps in on almost every song. Like SFU and Obituary, groove dominates. Especially noteworthy are Barnes' vocals -- perhaps his most inspired in some years, particularly since his last few albums have essentially been hit or miss. This album is worth the price of admission for the titular track alone, with its "Flight of the Bumblebee" on brown acid vibe. Killer. Erik Rutan's mixing no doubt improved Barnes' production but as a whole this is another quality release from Metal Blade. Wes Benscoter's art offers the coup de grace. Swarm!
| Tracklist |
| 1. Swarm! |
| 2. Forever Dead |
| 3. A Funeral For The Masses |
| 4. Multiple Counts Of Murder |
| 5. Obsessed With Homicide |
| 6. Sadistic |
| 7. Cannibal Gluttony |
| 8. I Killed You |
| 9. Heading Towards The Butchery |
| 10. A Violent Scene Of Death |
: 34.36
| Buy other Torture Killer albums |
