ALBUM REVIEW: Torture Rack – Primeval Onslaught

TORTURE RACK are finally back! One of the finest, most primitive Death Metal bands in the underground. Their new record is dropping with 20 Buck Spin on June 9th. Let’s rip right into the putrid Portlanders phantasmal offering.

Putrescent riffs permeate the air with a percussive groove and sepulchral odour, pummelling into the skull like a rusted nail as eerie likes strike the hammer down. The stomach-churning vocals soon join the neanderthalic bludgeoning with an equally hostile and visceral performance, the entire band moving in a steady and uncompromising fashion, much in the vein of Autopsy, Rottrevore and other rotten legends of old, much like on their excellent previous works, gladly they have not softened with age. The savage and unforgiving drums meet so many ferociously barbaric riffs with tremolo picked grotesqueries and chunky chugs interwoven to concoct a tapestry of malodorous music.

Swirling further into the fetid murk, the blend of utterly deranged decompositions and the raw filth of the production perfectly convey what Torture Rack set out for. Combined with the masterful Rok cover-art, this feels like another truly complete package from the band. From their albums to the EP’s / demos, everything feels purposeful and here we see the third full length take shape as a malefic slab of pungent, virile and most of all disgusting Death Metal mastery. Those whiplash packed grooves hit harder than ever and the overall feeling is like maggots under the skin, rolling a carcass in the sepulchral dirt, pretty ideal for a record of this ilk.

The swaying grittiness of each track is absolutely killer with a remorseless execution that does not falter ’til the end. Each riff feels violent with the bass presence and percussion splintering bones in their wake. All of the vocals come in at the right moments and this entire record feels like a band who have a shared vision of spreading carnage and do so magnificently. Favouring simplicity, playing with forceful aggression and never letting anything overstay its welcome. Even the occasional solos feeling mutilated and unhinged, fitting the tracks rather than being there for the sake of showing off. This is concise and as such holds plenty of merit to replay every time you want to experience an impalement storm of morbidity with no time-wasting to speak of.

Another triumph of carcass-mulching Death Metal might from Oregon’s most odious. Reigning rot and spewing sepulchre, “Primeval Onslaught” does exactly what it says on the tin, chundering rancid old school perversions and mangled riffing for just shy of half an hour with barbaric brutality from start to end. Taking a look at the cover / logo / photos should give you a good idea if this band will either get you banging your molten brain fluids out, or running for the hills. Join the descent to infernal chasms for a ceremonial flesh feast…