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"Soothing Torture", the second album from Norwegian progressive metalcore maniacs Insense, begins with a calm, soothing piano intro before the terror of torture for the ears kick in. Relentless and aggressive riffs walk hand in hand with knife-sharp solos cutting through your veins while the brutal vocals from frontman and producer Tommy Hjelm smash your forehead to pieces like a two ton hammer. Insense have chosen a slightly different approach when writing material for their sophomore effort, stripping their sound down to a less technical and more intense version of their debut. "Soothing Torture" is violent enough to appeal to Slipknot fans and is suggestive enough to induce hypnosia in a Neurosis manner while not copying any forerunners within any genre.
Insense is a sonic child of its time and will speak the loudest to the new breed of heavy metal fans, building a foundation for a successful future. The guitar riffs are ferocious and abrasive. The vocals range from semi-clean melancholy to aggressive brutality. Insense master their art with ease and care, not leaving any aspect of their musical creations to Lady Fortune. The main part of "Soothing Torture" consists of aggressive pieces glowing with rage and with groovy break-downs on occasion but Insense have not abandoned melodies. The wonderful "The Forgiving Embrace" is a song that shows the many faces of the band and it is a nice example of what the forces of diversity are capable of. Metalcore bands easily fall into the trap of conformity but luckily Insense avoid this with a few exceptions. While neither becoming boring nor monotonous, "Soothing Torture" is a homogenous album that would have sounded fresh and exciting maybe five years ago but even today it has much to offer the modern 21st century metalhead. Kick off your shoes and mosh!
| Tracklist |
| 1. Helplessness |
| 2. Making Up For Lost Time |
| 3. I, Deviant |
| 4. Gasping For Air |
| 5. Constriction |
| 6. The Forgiving Embrace |
| 7. Soothing Torture |
| 8. Clawing At The Nerve |
| 9. A Prayer For The Feeble |
| 10. Fallout |
: 36.48
| Buy other Insense albums |
