• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

I'm extremely wary of anything I'm sent branded melodic death metal and I feel it's with good reason. Finnish upstarts Torchia prove exactly why, managing to sound like just about every fledgling melodic death metal band going. I just can't get away with this brand of obnoxious, hyper-charged bubblegum. You know fine well what to expect here, juvenile growling/snarling vocals, third-rate Gothenburg riffs, and a lead guitarist who sounds as though they've just learned how to sweep pick.

The production isn't up to much here either, sounding like a first attempt from a bunch of youngsters. I wouldn't be surprised if this was recorded utilizing the facilities at their local practice space, or done in a day on one of their laptops. As for the songs in themselves, saying that they're completely unspectacular is putting it in the nicest way possible. Whilst I certainly don't think they're horrible, they're just so trite, so underwhelming, so infantile.

At the risk of resorting to vomiting out crap I'm going to cut this one short, as I have no interest in listening to this anymore than I have to. Whilst I'm sure there will be people who like this (definitely the friends of the band), this just isn't my idea of enjoyable or exciting music. You can tell Torchia have practiced hard at their instruments, but what they need to practice is how to put a song together. Essentially this sounds like a mash-up of all their favorite bands; of which I'm sure are At The Gates, Children Of Bodom and Arch Enemy. Like I said, not my cup of tea in the slightest, but who knows. If you get a kick out of youthful energy or dime-a-dozen riffs then you might want to give Torchia a listen, if not I'd recommend giving this one a miss.