Overtorture – At The End The Dead Await





For me, death metal is a lot like a blow job.  There really is no such thing as a bad one, nor is there such a thing as bad death metal.  Even the generic, paint by numbers kind of death metal has its redeeming qualities, just like getting oral sex from someone who really isn't into doing it for you.  As long as you get to finish then there's no way its bad.  And just like standing at the front of the stage, center, for the At The Gates reunion show, when you get a blow job from someone who loves to do it and knows what they are doing, it is mind blowing.

Which is a long winded and probably unnecessary way to let you know that Overtorture are a death metal band.  A new one in fact, and this is their debut release.  Although these guys as individuals have been around the block with previous bands such as Grave, Demonical, Insision and Coldworker, so there is definitely a veteran feel to this band.  Sometimes, being veterans of a style can mean that the death metal being presented is a little stagnant and same old, same old, but not in this case.  The combination of guys who know the genre but are playing with new people make this work very well.

I think what I like most about death metal is that you know what you are going to get.  There is nothing gentle and nothing pretty about this music.  If your speakers can handle it, you can literally turn it up until you feel it, like a 20 pound sledgehammer to the chest.  It has a certain pummeling characteristic about it which just feels really good sometimes.  Sometimes you just need to acknowledge that it's been a shitty day and listen to some music that says, “Yeah man, it has, now let's bash all of the shittiness out!”  And you put on some death metal and an hour or so later, the world is right again.

There are some good tracks on this release, and there are some most excellent track here as well.  The opener, “Black Shrouds of Dementia” busts of the gate feeling deliciously off kilter, just the way to start something like this.  I really like “The Outer Limits” as well.  There is a guitar part that's not a riff, more like just a little flourish, that pops up in places and really hits the spot.  “The Coming Doom” is a tasty down tempo number that shows off a little variation in the death metal genre.  “Towards The Within” is a bitchin' song title, and adds some nice punkishness to the mix.  And all the others are very well done and will have you moshing with yourself in no time.

You don't have to break new ground or create a new path with everything you release.  There is nothing wrong at all with good, solid, enjoyable death metal.  This album put me in a good mood and had me doing the full on head bob, and you metalheads know what I'm talking about there.  Check these guys out and you will be glad that you did.  

 - ODIN


 

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