Jeez, but this is a good record!

I’ll be honest, the ‘DIY’ quality of the sound recording put me off my stride a little at first, until I worked out that by turning everything up to ten and putting some decent quality cans on my head everything starts to make sense!

That’s right, this album really does work best turned to eleven (I thought you said ten – Ed) – and man what a ride you are in for once you’ve go the technical shit worked out! The first three tracks lay it down in no mean fashion, introducing the band to your ears with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the back of the head. Think the musicality of Metal Church or Vicious Rumors and early Savatage, add the sheer brutality of classic period Slayer – and then stop trying to quantify what you’re listening to. Just wallow!

Actually wallowing might not be an option, as you’ll be too busy banging your head… Rob Ropkins has the classic thrash metal voice, and he doesn’t mind reminding you of that fact – his work on Severed Cord and the album’s best track, Killing The Sun, is frighteningly good, but throughout his vocals are never less than totally committed and utterly compelling. Indeed the same can be said for the rest of the band -especially Chris Wozniak, who battles through the mix to deliver one of the most consistently impressive drum performances I’ve heard in a long, long time. Brian Johnson and Jeremy McAllister are the quintessential metal guitar duo, and if you don’t hear too much of four stringer Nate Baker (apart from some fast work at the start of Relieved In Pain), you can be sure he’s pretty good to keep the company of these guys.

All three tracks from the band’s 2021 demo are here, but there’s no discernible difference in the other songs so I’m assuming they all come from the same period – the whole album certainly flows as such, with the band pacing things beautifully well. Music delivered at this level of intensity can often leave the listener flagging after a while unless it’s done well, but you won’t be able to drag your ears away from this for even one second of the album’s forty minute duration, I guarantee. This is genuinely high quality stuff – world class heavy metal in fact. Please give it a listen and help the guys by investing in their wares!

No More Torture releases on March 3rd.