Torturerama-It Begins At Birth

Dolorem Records
2014

As I sit here typing away in the early morning hours (frittering my life away somewhere in-between the lost and the lonely) it is dark, cold and foggy on the other side of my bedroom window. Plainly-speaking, one simply could not ask for a better environment than this when it comes to streaming the ominous music of Torturerama for the first time! Formed in 2008 and made up of members who have spent time with the likes of Solipsist, Viggen, Predatoria, Ex-Inferis, Death Penalty, Culpable Homicide, Body of Christ, Mothra and Gorath, Torturerama are a dark and foreboding modern day death metal band obsessed with the past. Or to narrow it down some (and bearing in mind that this might only pertain to this four-track release and not the band's 2010 debut, the EP "Left as Remains") the Stockholm death metal scene of the nineties! And seeing as the Stockholm death metal scene of the nineties delivered killer material from the likes of , Grave, Carnage/Dismember and Unleashed (with the first three groups in particular (or rather Entombed, Dismember and Grave) serving as inspiration for this rock-solid EP!) it's all good as gold when it comes to this Belgian death metal band! While Torturerama's "It Begins At Birth" (which was originally released as a limited-edition cassette) isn't necessarily breaking new ground that does not mean it should be overlooked either. No, they are not a carbon-cony of the original source of inspiration, but still Entombed fans in particular (especially those who love the material of the early years) would do well to sit up and pay attention to this EP as it strikes all the same cords and will move through you in much the same way as the Swedish band used to. If you count yourself a member of that club then every minute that passes of this second EP from Torturerama will break your heart in all the right ways. At it's best "It Begins At Birth" is a spiritual successor of  Stockholm scene. At it's worst it's still heads and shoulders above a lot of what passes for modern death metal these days. So really there is not much of a risk factor at all when it comes to this Belgian death metal band's latest is there? 

http://doloremrecords.bandcamp.com/album/it-begins-at-birth-ep

Incarceration-Sacrifice

F.D.A. Rekotz
2013

This short-length EP, which runs 9 minutes and 45 seconds and features the tracks "Forsaken and Forgotten", "Sacrifice" and "Cemetery of Lies", is Incarceration's first stab at a "lengthier" release. Prior to "Sacrifice" (whose title track is arguably the strongest cut of the three) the band, which was first put together in 2010 as a one man project from current Mortificy/former Dorthornion member Daniel Silva (aka: Daniel Duracell), was part of a 2012 split with Escarnium. Now, in addition to Daniel Silva on guitar and vocals, this German (by way of Brazil) brutal death metal band also features bassist Björn Freese (also formerly of  Dorthornion) and drummer Michael Koch. Other then the track "Sacrifice", which was on the 2012 split with Escarnium (incidentally titled "Decrepit Aberration"), this is new material which (presumably and hopefully) points towards a very promising (potential) future full-length release for the three gentlemen in Incarceration! Personally I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that to happen in the early part of 2014, but since I have no clue as to what these three are up to right now (Touring? In the studio? On a break?) let's instead turn ourselves around and drop a few names so you (the reader and potential future Incarceration fan) have a better idea as to what's in store with "Sacrifice". When talking about Incarceration it's best to first start off by saying that this is one band that has manged to crisscross the globe in pursuit of their own sound. Certainly there's still some Brazilian death metal flowing about in Daniel's veins by way of Sarcofago, Torture Squad and early Sepultura influences. None of which is a bad thing I can guarantee you that! But then again we are also talking about a band that (mostly) makes stops in the U.S. for their sound (early Slayer, Hellwitch, At War, Dark Angel and the one and only Death!) before heading over to Sweden to partake in everything that such a wonderful country like that has to offer like Grave, Entombed, Dismember, Afflicted, Nihilist, Unleashed and Hypocrisy! By looking at those names you might have noticed some thrash roots potentially showing up "Sacrifice" and you'd be right! Thrash metal does seem to have a way of showing up in death metal and there's no real sense of difference here. The only point of clarification would have to be that when applied to brutal death like this then it's mostly in the lead solos and it's always kept on the raw and unfiltered side of things! Naturally that just makes a release like this sound all the more punishing and to that end the band keeps the production on the low end which works wonders! Not that these three tracks here are demo quality or anything. Far from at! Everything is right where it ought to be sound-wise it's merely a case where less is more. The production is (thankfully) more restrained here and it works with the understanding that damaging death metal like this should never (as in NEVER EVER folks!) be given a shiny gloss! In fact this kind of nasty death metal should be kept untamed and unchained, free to devour whatever dares cross it's path! Thankfully that path and my path converged and now I can point all of you in the direction of this promising three-piece band! You can find out more about this German band and how to grab this three-track release for yourself at the group's Facebook page below!

https://www.facebook.com/incarceration