TORTURED SPIRIT (The Mentally Ill) CD
TORTURED SPIRIT is a fine supplement to the German Doom Metal community, due to their unique sound, which has gained them attention throughout Germany. The band's first demo received good reviews from critics and fans alike who took notice of the band's loud, raucous sound created from three passionate Doom Metal musicians. Afterwards they also caught the attention of John Brenner's label Bland Hand Records, who's the guitarist/vocalist of Revelation and Against Nature and who quickly signed on to debut the trio's first full length release. 'The Mentally Ill' is predominantly dense, 70's infected Doom inspired by the genre's forefathers and their earliest successors, but TORTURED SPIRIT has integrated their own personality and a very unique approach to the whole thing. One of the reasons is the untypical vocal style of guitarist Thorsten 'Oddy' Frahling, which is hard to describe, but totally fits to this gloomy sound.
What I like is the fact, that the band doesn't follow only one formula. Each one of the here included eight heavy song is rich in variety, consisting of unexpected breaks and different paces. From the short acoustic 'TSMOTAAGT' to the creepy atmosphere of 'Skullsun' and 'Halls of the Blind', both with unexpected acoustic guitars to the epic 'Archetype', the longest track of the album, there's a marked versatility at work. But there's more to discover as for example 'Message from Hell', featuring main vocals and lyrics from no less than ex-Penance/Argus singer Brian 'Butch' Balich as well as an significant amount of guitar leads from John Brenner on a couple of tracks. Not to forget the unconventional artwork of John Gallo (Orodruin/Blizarro/Born Too Late webzine). The result is an album that is both endearingly honest and consistently solid, exemplifying a joyously good start of a promising band. You can order 'The Mentally Ill' for only EUR 6,- directly from the band and it's a decision you won't regret!
(KK)