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TORN THE FUCK APART
Sexually Transmitted Torture
Ossuary Industries (2014)
Rating: 7/10

Who the hell said that heavy metal bands were running out of ideas when it came to the moniker of an act?!

And so we come to the chart-topping, MTV-friendly Torn The Fuck Apart, who weren’t happy enough flaying our ears with their 2012 lump of meat entitled …The Dissection Of Christ. They return from the squalid pits of life with this gorgeous, flowery mix of pop-edged lullabies, complete with titles such as ‘Autopsy Of A Cunt’, ‘Sulfuric Semen Skank Dunk Tank’ and that ol’ cheery chestnut ‘Inserted Vaginal Castration Device’.

It really does give me hope in the world to know that there are still unhinged maniacs of this ilk roaming around Kansas City and in a darkened, well-soiled room coming up with a truck load of tracks such as this. Coupled with a gaudy piece of artwork, this band knows no limits in their quest for extreme metal insanity.

Eight mucus-lined tracks begin with ‘I Can’t Believe She Got In The Van With Me’, which couldn’t be more sickening and seedy if it had deceased serial killer Ted Bundy singing on it! As the titles suggest, this is a pretty crushing third death metal opus from this quartet, who was formed in 2004 and released their Gods Of Gore debut in 2009. Okay, so in spite of the vicious titles and the guttural vocal spouts, this is very much groove-based death metal featuring hyper-active guitars of spasmodic quality and pulverising blast-beats of a technical nature which are wildly constructive as well as destructive on the brain.

Torn The Fuck Apart is fronted by chief growler Michael Langner who has a pretty standard death metal vocabulary, but his voice suits the musical mayhem perfectly. His monotonous sort of bellows tend to contradict what is going on behind him, that being the wall of deflecting solos – jerking, jarring riff epilepsy – and Brandon Mitchell’s haywire, murderous bass. Thankfully, it’s all reasonably decipherable rather than merging into the god-awful realms of death-grind where too many bands opt for a non-descript pig-squeal vocal.

It’s also not the heaviest album you’ll hear this year, but it’s one of a complex nature injected with a few nasty lil’ samples, which allow the likes of ‘Autopsy Of A Cunt’ and ‘Digested Genitalia’ to become quite atmospheric battering rams. Sure, the songs take a while to grow on you simply because of their maniacal fluidity, and at times the intricate patterns of perversity bring to mind the likes of Cryptopsy. In spite of the clever musicianship and the overall oozing sickness, however, the other argument is that there may be some who cannot take such a platter seriously, the album cover alone suggesting a cartoon-styled garishness. For me though, it’s one that enables Torn The Fuck Apart to remain tongue-in-cheek yet still brutal in every department.

Although I’d like to have heard a touch more bass on this record, there is enough maniac absurdity and demented technicality for any budding serial killers out there to fulfil their sordid needs by way of wax rather than flesh.

Neil Arnold

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