Commemorating their new deal Tormenter are re-issuing their previous 2014 release Prophetic Deceiver through Static Tension Recordings, available in both digital and hard pressed CD formats.
Thrash metal for all its glory has its best moments as savory morsels, from the delicate solos adjourning the rampant whiplash inducing rhythm or the epic build ups that climb to slide into crescendo. Tormentor can give it, they can even have it, but they just don’t get it.
Blistering away too fast to notice, the heavy and hard arse riffs are pretty chunky with a scorching guitar sound to attenuate them. Heatedly moving over to more intense altitudes quickly. The tempo rages away without leaving much damage on the lower end of the spectrum.
The synergy between the sectors (members) leaves no point in time uninteresting in this oracular litany to mainstream zombification. The musicianship is immaculate on Prophetic Deceiver even if the drum track relies on triggers to unnecessarily beat you into submission.
The production values are far from crunchy, and that does not work in Prophetic Deceivers’ favour, giving Tormentor to the nostalgic bargain bin for bands that sound like Celtic Frost. Given a bit of cleaning up so it sparkles like frostbite and a bit more attention to movement the potential to truly realize this vision, rather as intended, would make a world of difference.
However it is a pretty class act, and maybe if it was auspiciously released thirty years ago we’d be talking Tormenter instead of Celtic Frost, if it was released in 1985.
8/10
