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TORTURE KILLER
Dead Inside EP

The Other (2022)
Rating: 6.5/10

It’s been almost ten years since these Finnish fellows were last active with Phobia (2013), their fourth full-length release. Back then Torture Killer were becoming quite the cult act after originally naming themselves after a Six Feet Under song, which is no surprise considering the band’s first ever set consisted of covers of the US act.

The debut album – For Maggots To Devour – emerged way back in 2003, so like I say it’s nice to have the guys back with this three-track EP. However, Torture Killer may well have been pushed to the side due to the various projects of band members Pessi Haltsonen (vocals), Jari Laine (guitar), Tuomas Karppinen (guitar), Kim Torniainen (bass) and Tuomo Latvala (grums), but fans will welcome the return of these groovy deathsters.

The scene has certainly moved on, even since their 2013 opus, but this short effort has enough catchiness, particularly in the opening title track which chugs along nicely. A few people have commented to me that they thought, upon first listen, that the EP felt tepid, but I’d simply argue and state that the band is clearly trying to do something different by fusing old school death metal vibes while being reliant on fluid riffing. This is evident with the excellent ‘Iniquity’ which spawns from the depths of the atmospheric interlude ‘The Omen’.

There’s nothing particularly brutal, technical or even atmospheric about the sound of Torture Killer, but it has that organic Finnish quality. The tracks are solid, reliable death metal that neither succumbs to modern gloss nor retires itself to the mouldy confines of the old school. In a sense it’s a band that is difficult to mark the progression of, especially when it’s been so long since the last outing, but as I said, it’s stable, steady flavours are jam-packed with chomping vocal chops which are matched by the meaty percussion, bass and guitar tone. Yeah, it’s kinda bog standard, but I was under no illusion it would be anything else.

Neil Arnold

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