It isn’t entirely obvious that this release is a concept album, but the premise of The Torture Never Stops involves a metaphor for society, of doomed relationships and the psychological breakdown of the album’s protagonist, all happily buried amongst a thoroughly zombie inspired fiction. Yet this borderline grindhouse script doesn’t have the planned structural changes in the pacing of the album like so many other concept albums, and so much of the plot unfolds within the lyrical content.
With a blood-curdling opening sequence that comprises of a simple but morbid piano riff, the band are quick to inflict some thick death metal riffs and compressed, damaging drum sounds in your ear. This sets the scene perfectly for the even more uptempo track, ‘The Maze’, in which Marc Rizzo-style whammy-fx riffs are spliced into a grooving, almost Slipknot-influenced open guitar riff – think of how the main riff to ‘People = s**t’ plays out, and this is sort of in that area. It’s fast, it’s groovy, and it’s hard-hitting – and on the whole probably one of the most percussively forceful albums I have heard in recent months. In fact it is the influence of Slipknot and bands such as Machine Head who have helped shape the band through the years. They are openly in awe of the former’s stage presence, and the latter’s professionalism, and you can hear the influences flow through the album in the form of a late 90s groove-metal sound, albeit mixed with more Devildriver tempos.
Amongst this clash of styles is a thin industrial undercurrent. Some recent French metal music have often had a hint of industrial influences within the sometimes intricate, experimental, and deathly sounds. From the industrialised black metal of Blut Aus Nord, the cyber metal of Scarve to the industrial rockOne Way Mirror there is a combination of influences which brings out a sometimes pessimistic social commentary, yet embraces the modern metal world of computer recorded albums and post-80s electronic trickery.
However, compared to their earlier releases, the band decided to reduce the amount of overtly industrial influences for this LP. “It was a […] natural step, because at the time of production, we wondered whether to add things, and we said that there was not necessarily a need to add more … it did not work as well”. Whereas their French peers Dagoba have continued to inject fantastical waves of synth work for their last album Poseidon, Zuul FX and have now certainly embraced the congested area of aggressive meal occupied by the likes ofDevildriver, Soulfly, Slipknot, Machine Head et al.
The Torture Never Stops also harks back to the more melodic and sometimes timid metal of last decade. For instance on ‘Devil Son Vs Sexy Witch’, where the dual vocals are met with lethargic choruses and uninspired riffs. It sends my finger towards the ‘stop’ switch, yet there are a few interesting moments within this, well, average album. Stand out tracks incorporate a heap of attitude and polyrhythmic guitar riffing, such as on ‘Beat The Crap Out’ and ‘The Torture Never Stops’, both thoroughly influenced by the work of Fear Factory. But it just doesn’t have that constant invention for my easily distracted mind.
[Originally published on Onemetal]
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