EP Review: Torture Hammer - Torture Hammer
Reviewed by Sam Jones
There’s something especially fun listening to bands’ first serious releases, often foretelling what the future may bring. In this instance we have Torture Hammer, hailing from California, United States, as they prepare to drop their first self-titled EP for October 24th. Unveiling their Dormant Horror Demo last year, the band have been hard at work with this release, earning them already a signing alongside Creator-Destructor Records. Sporting art by Indonesian talent Catur Ferdi Romadhoni whose craft adorns bands like 200 Stab Wounds, Writhing Shadows, Cemetery Trip and more, Torture Hammer already feature a strong visual angle to draw people in. Let’s take a look at this upcoming band.
Torture Hammer’s ethos towards extreme metal is speak loudly and carry a trusty sledgehammer. The band’s approach to songwriting may seem straightforward but when you start dissecting what they do, you’ll find there’s more going on you realised. Absent wholly of soloing the band throw all efforts into crafting the most crushing, face-ripping death metal they can. Their performance possesses few subtleties as riffs and basslines merge to come down on you like a train falling from great height; you can see and feel the mass coming closer all the while you’re powerless to survive. This is all the more prevalent when we recall how guitar sequences can simply cease, giving the bass and vocals the lead in the track you’re experiencing. Moulding your face to one of permanent stank Torture Hammer bring the weight in excess and then some.
We've seen bands inject multitudes of worthwhile material into short tracks but Torture Hammer take this philosophy one step further with songs under two minutes each, yet the quality they provide makes each piece far longer than their runtime states. Granted this is only an EP and thus the band don’t have too much time to work with, but if this is the approach Torture Hammer opt for then a full length would be interesting indeed. Throughout each track here their songwriting has at least one standout moment where the song in progress takes on a greater life of its own. It could be a particular riff that brings the proverbial hammer down or bass coming to the forefront etc. Torture Hammer may have less than fifteen minutes to get their point across but I'd argue they did so with great success.
I liked the malleability of the vocals. Even on an EP where time isn’t to the band’s advantage the vocals change up enough times to warrant creating differing tones across the tracks. For the most part its the gruff, growling delivery, the kind where one imagines vocal cords repping the weights, but you also have moments where the delivery devolves into subhuman, archaic bellows. Here one imagines frontman Peter Pawlak simply eating his microphone conveying those depths of vocalisation. As to the majority of his delivery its controlled and mighty but the mix hasn’t brought it so close to us that it could conflict with the instrumentation. The result is a collective band sound where all parties can be heard and appreciated for the efforts they each impart to the EP, without nullifying any other.
In conclusion, Torture Hammer’s debut self-titled EP is a straight up pummelling of death metal that fans of classic acts like Cannibal Corpse will certainly take to. With less than quarter of an hour the band get six full tracks out with plenty to keep us invested and engaged, especially knowing how short Torture Hammer appear to write their music. Could this be altered upon writing a full length record? It's tough to say for Torture Hammer clearly have a knack for performing short pieces that cut through the fat and deliver the goods to those demanding them. With their first EP Torture Hammer get their foot in the door and their name out to their first barrage of fans. Let’s see where the future takes these guys.
