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TORTURE KILLER - Swarm! review by TGOD, rating 9/10 Metal Blade 2006 Music: Death Metal Website: www.torturekiller.com Country: Finland Duration: 34:31 Cool Songs: All I've been a fan of Chris Barnes since his beginning and after hearing Torture Killer's first album, I soon became a fan of theirs too. Sure, they copy the Six Feet Under sound and that's exactly why I liked them. It was also the reason for The Evil One, who has joined forces with them for their second album, Swarm!. This is one of the most amazing things to happen to Death Metal yet, in my book. What a lethal combo this brings. With Chris producing, writing and doing vocals along with Erik Rutan at the controls, Torture Killer has become a major force in the world of Death. Torture Killer was already a killer force, but now........look out! The title track starts us out with some pure Death and some awesome lead work, introducing us to the new major force to come. "Forever Dead" is a song that I just can't get enough of. It is a heavy ass, driving rhythm behind the best vocals in the Death business. Torture Killer carries a bit more weight than Six feet Under with duel guitars and a more thunderous European drumming. This is one of the heaviest Death songs ever, and I've been around forever. "A Funeral for the Masses" pounds right in with more heavy rhythm and melody and Chris' unmistakable growl. Barnes and Jari Laine are one of the most lethal combo's ever! "Multiple Counts Of Murder" picks up the speed, staying extremely tight and Barnes' rip out your eyes and rape the eye sockets of your bloody corpse lyrics are still the best that pure Death has ever had to offer. But then, he is followed closely by Jari, the only other person I've ever heard that even comes close to the Barnes form of sickness. Real close! "Obsessed with Homicide" surely proves Jari's worth and skill in songwriting, musically and lyrically. Chris must be beaming with pride!!! There is not a weak point on this cd at all. Critics say it's Six Feet Under from their better days, but after a few listens, you'll realize that this is NOT Six Feet Under. This is TORTURE KILLER!. "Sadistic" is a speedy, heavy driving force with sadistic Barnes vox and lyrics. "Cannibal Gluttony" is another fast, hard driving, heavy ass song by Jari that just pounds you into the dust. Jari writes some of the heaviest rhythms I've ever heard. "I Killed You" is another Barnes classic with other guitarist, Thomas Karrpinen, writing the music. This is some heavy ass shiiiaaattt!!!! This is the best Death talent coming together that I've ever heard. "Heading Towards The Butchery" and "A Violent Scene Of Death" continue the slaughter and let's not forget to mention the pounding bass and kick ass drumming throughout. Some awesome cover art by Wes Benscoter rounds out this masterpiece. All in all, I'd like to say that this is one of the best Death Metal albums I've ever heard. Chris Barnes seems to always get more criticism than he deserves, but let me tell you, he is the icing on the cake for this awesome dream come true of a band and will escort them to the top of the Death Metal food chain. -------------------- Masterful Magazine review by Wouter (7 out of 10) ormed in Finland in 2002 by a few members of Adramalech, Torn and Demigod as a Six Feet Under and Obituary tribute band, Torture Killer has come a long way. Their 2004 Karmageddon Media debut "For Maggots to Devour" didn't quite go out of its way to pay homage to its peers. Chugging mid-tempo death metal that just begs to nod your head to. Apparently, Six Feet Under head honcho Chris Barnes heard about Torture Killer (a name taken from Six Feet Under's "Maximum Violence" record), promptly joined them and a record deal with Metal Blade Records followed closely after. This album is far more enjoyable than the last few Six Feet Under albums. Guitarists Jari Laine and Tuomas Karppinen deliver fast punching riffs that are far more technical and groovy than what the Six Feet Under guitar-tandem has been spewing out in recent years. With titles such as ‘Obsessed With Homicide', ‘Multiple Counts of Murder' and ‘Heading Towards the Butchery' Chris Barnes is bound to feel in place - which shows in his convincing and mean vocal delivery. Artwork by Wes Benscoter (Mortician, Deceased) fits this package like a glove. "Swarm!" is by all means a step up from their debut and with Barnes in tow Torture Killer will no longer be an unknown with the groove oriented death metal fanatics. -------------------- Chronicles of Chaos review by Jackie Smit (8 out of 10) You can't help but be a little surprised at Chris Barnes' decision to act as the proverbial pinch hitter and step into the vocal booth for this Finnish troupe. Sure, Six Feet Under's last two records didn't exactly set the world ablaze, but of all the gore metal bands doing the rounds, you'd have thought that he'd choose a less non-descript act at the very least. Still, Torture Killer -- as much as they shamelessly lifted whole riffs from a number of bands on their last album and palmed it off as their own -- were always something of a guilty pleasure; the sort of band, you know you're supposed to dislike for a number of fundamental reasons, but can't because they're just too damn entertaining. What's very clear from the onset with _Swarm!_ though is that musically the bar has been picked up and vaulted into an entirely new stratosphere. Whether or not this has anything to do with Barnes' presence is beside the point, because from the moment the album chugs to life, Torture Killer are a more mature, decidedly less derivative and infinitely more engaging prospect. There's no mistaking their genre of choice -- this is still chugging, mid-tempo death metal from start to finish, replete with the obligatory bile-soaked lyrics. Only now, the band actually seem as though they want to be taken seriously. They even toss in the odd leftfield nugget along the way, like the soaring lead on "Forever Dead" or the haunting melody that rounds out "Multiple Counts of Murder". While these grow to increasingly short supply towards the latter stages of the album, overall this is easily one of the most simplistic and mindlessly exhilarating records you're going to hear in 2006. As for Barnes -- let's just say that this is the best thing his name has been attached to since _Maximum Violence_. -------------------- Torture Killer - Swarm! (MAXIMUM METAL REVIEW by EC 02.07.06) Stained satin lined coffins spill over, ejecting lifeless occupants that have zombiefied into so much blood and gore. Putting music to scene would probably involve the most vile and wicked of the headhunting "shock" bands, possibly allowing free reign from the likes of Finland's Torture Killer, a violent and sadistic display of random violence and imagery. Fans of Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under will find macabre delight and pleasure knowing ex-'Corspe frontman and current Six Feet Under vocalist Chris Barnes is steering Torture Killer, making the new release, "Swarm!", an outstanding success. This band originally started out as an outfit made for entertainment. The band members hung out and played their favorite Six Feet Under and Obituary songs before finally deciding to write some of their own material. Soon the group had their first album out, a brutal old school death assault on Karmageddon Media entitled "For Maggots To Devour". During the promotion for that record the band was asked numerous times what Six Feet Under and Chris Barnes thought about Torture Killer. In late 2004 Barnes contacted the band to offer his support and encouragement. Once he found out the band needed a vocalist, he stepped in to become the act's singer. Now Torture Killer takes flight with "Swarm!", an old school romp that will please fans of '80s and '90s Floridian death metal. Their brand of mayhem and carnage is based around thrashy riffs, gore soaked songwriting, and fantastic lead playing. In many ways this is sort of like the "lost" Six Feet Under album, maybe caught somewhere in time between "Warpath" and "Maximum Violence". Barnes uses his Cannibal Corpse low register for the most part, never quite hitting "The Bleeding" recognition of pronouncing clearly every word. That is quite alright from the reading of these lyrics, however the gorehounds should find plenty to like about cuts such as "Heading Towards The Butchery" and "I Killed You". This is truly inspired by the most wicked sensations to leave Florida, and in all honesty a very entertaining album that will please casual thrashers as well. Torture Killer and Barnes make quite a team and at this point Six Feet Under may have trouble competing with this high powered product. -------------------- Lords of metal review by Monique, Rating: 85/100 Torture Killer is a fine example of a jam session turning pro. In the year 2002 a group of Finns enjoyed themselves by drinking beer and playing Six Feet Under & Obituary tunes, but slowly but surely things became more structured. By October 2003 this loose group had organised itself into a genuine band that could proudly present its debut album "For Maggots to Devour". I had the pleasure of reviewing that album for Lords of Metal (see archive) and was well impressed by the newcomers. and now there is a new full-length album. The band's biography informs us that a few line-up changes have taken place (so what's new?), but their new vocalist hardly needs extensive introduction: "would you believe it...it's Chris Barnes!!!" Their new album "Swarm!" is filled to the brim with pounding riffs and low-tuned death metal, and to top it all off: Chris Barnes' vocals seem to feel right at home. This album is again a bang0along bonanza of massive proportions. All ten tracks are rawer and mostly faster than those found on SFU's "Haunted", but contain an overpowering groove that still echoes their source of inspiration. This is one hell of a death metal album: none of your technical farting about, but open all valves and go, go, GO! Catchy and groovy from start to finish! -------------------- Metal news review by Trey, rating 5.5 / 7.0 Sind uns aus dem hohen Norden Skandinaviens, genauer aus Finnland, eher brachialer Black Metal und religiös einschlägige Kreischepriester bekannt, so lehrt uns die Band Torture Killer, dass es auch dort durchaus möglich ist sehr simplen und überaus eingängigen Death Metal zu produzieren. Mit "Swarm“ bringt der Fünfer bereits das zweite reguläre Album auf den Markt. Konnten sie jedoch mit dem 2003 erschienenen Debüt "For Maggots To Devour” die Szene noch nicht so wirklich erreichen, werden sie mit dem neuen Album wohl weniger Probleme haben. Denn dazu haben sie sich prominente Unterstützung geholt. Niemand Geringeres als Grunzlegende Chris Barnes (Six Feet Under, ex-Cannibal Corpse) steht hier am Mikro. Wieso der Mann aus Florida gerade bei den Jungs in Finnland eingestieg, ist mir ein Rätsel, aber hört man in "Swarm" rein, weiß man, dass sich "Onkel Weed“ hier sauwohl fühlen muss. Um es vorsichtig auszudrücken: Bei Torture Killer mag es sich durchaus um eine Art finnische Vertretung der Ami-Deather von Six Feet Under handeln. Die Musiker, allesamt bekennende SFU-Fans, haben sich hier nämlich ziemlich deutlich Ihren Vorbildern verschrieben. Vor allem den frühen Alben wie "The Haunted“ und "Warpath“. Kein Wunder eigentlich, denn bis etwa 2002 versuchte sich die Band als reine Six Feet Under- und Obituary-Coverband. Qualitativ können die Jungs mit Leichtigkeit an die Werte der Amis anknüpfen und haben natürlich auch eine gewisse Eigenständigkeit in ihren Sound einfließen lassen. Das ganze kommt, wie o.g. Ursprünge, ebenfalls ziemlich erdig und rifflastig daher, ist aber in einigen Nummern mit einer gewissen Melancholie versehen. Dafür sorgt das Gitarristenduo Karppinen und Laine. Teilweise erinnern Parts gar an Paradise Lost zu "Icon"/"Draconian Times", wie zum Beispiel "Multiple Counts Of Murder“ und "Forever Dead“. Gerade das Letztgenannte sticht übrigens besonders durch seinen geilen Refrain im letzten Drittel des Songs (Chris Barnes grölt "Forever Dead“ mit seiner unnachahmlichen Art auf eine wirklich „traurige“ Melodie! Sorry, aber irgendwie witzig!) heraus und hat sicher die besten Chancen, die Torture Killer-Live-Hymne zu werden. Ebenfalls zu erwähnen ist "Heading Towards The Butchery“, die schnellste Nummer der Scheibe. Der sehr geile Strophenpart und ein prägnanter Refrain sorgen sicher für jede Menge fliegende Leiber vor den Bühnen. Ich denke, es ist einfach für jeden Fan ursprünglichen Death Metals etwas dabei und "Swarm“ wird so manche der bereits begonnenen Grillevents des Sommers veredeln! Wer also hofft, dass Chris Barnes mit seiner neuen Band einen musikalischen Sprung wie damals nach Cannibal Corpse macht, womöglich gar zurück in eine extremere Richtung des Death Metals, der kommt definitiv nicht auf seine Kosten. Wer ihn jedoch mit Six Feet Under liebt, kommt an Torture Killer nicht vorbei! Denn falls "Swarm“ ein neues Album der Amis geworden wäre, gehörte es definitiv zu den Besten! -------------------- in-your-face.de review by Habi, rating 9 / 10 Workaholics hat es in der Geschichte der harten Musik schon viele gegeben, aber kaum einen so kompromisslosen wie erfolgreichen. Erst hat Chris Barnes CANNIBAL CORPSE, dann SIX FEET UNDER an die Spitze der Death Metal Bewegung gebracht. Jetzt ist er eine Union mit den finnischen Hobby-Todesmetallerrn TORTURE KILLER als Vollmitglied am Mikro und als Produzent eingegangen. Wenn Chris Barnes seine Dread-locks irgendwo rein hängt, ist Erfolg garantiert. Im Falle von TORTURE KILLER muss sich dieser zwar erst erarbeitet werden, aber die Weichen sind mit „Swarm!“ auf freie Fahrt gestellt. Frei von trendigen und unnötigen Experimenten setzt die US-finnische Kollaboration auf fette und schwere Gitarren, stampfende bis treibende Rhythmen und fieses Gegrunze, wie es erwartet wird. TORTURE KILLER bolzen nicht wie die Wilden drauf los, sondern versuchen mit kompakten, nachvollziehbaren Songwriting ihren Flug mit dem Schwarm zu wagen. Vor lauter Wucht gewinnen die Gitarrensoli nicht die überhand, sondern düstere Stimmung herrscht 35 Minuten lang vor. Inhaltlich lebt der Amerikaner seine Gewaltphantasien aus, aber das erwartet man von ihm und das gehört zum Death Metal dazu. Insgesamt klingen die 10 Lieder wie der Bastard aus OBITUARY und SIX FEET UNDER. TORTURE KILLER geben dem Namen Heavy Metal Leben zurück, das viel zu oft vom Kommerz verdrängt wird. Abgeschlossen wird das erste Kapitel mit einer gelungenen Cover-Illustration. -------------------- Rebel Extravaganza, no rating available Torture Killer's 2003 debut came at a time when I was just about sick of all the "progressive death" that was flooding the scene back then. I won't name names, but it seems like every Tom, Dick, and Harry was consumed with the overwhelming urge to become the next Meshuggah. For Maggots To Devour was just the bare-bones, primitive skullfuck I needed to combat the sea of eight-string guitars and 7/16 time signatures that threatened to drown us all. Fast-forward to 2006, and Torture Killer's sophomore album is upon us. This isn't a mere "sophomore album", however, in that one notable lineup change has the whole of the metal community watching and either praying for success or expecting failure. Sure, Torture Killer got their share of heat for coming off as a Six Feet Under ripoff, but who expected them to go out and snag Chris Barnes as a full-time member? Certainly not I, and I must confess that I had my reservations for that reason. The man's political posturing notwithstanding, I just hoped the dreaded one would stick to the gore, and not turn TK into SFU2. The opening riff of the title track sounds like a thousand wasps trapped in your hollowed-out cranium, and pissed to no end. Torture Killer never claimed to be speed metal, and most of the time, the band plows along at a steady pace. The first actual song, 'Forever Dead', proves that maybe Barnes has some life left in his rotted metal soul. His vocals here sound more energetic than they have in years, and the anvil-heavy guitar duo of Laine and Karppinen seem to be focused on the singular mission of blasting your head from your shoulders. Sometimes the straightforward approach works best, and Torture Killer are definitely of the opinion that a swinging Cro-Magnon's club gets the message across far better than sleuth and sneak attacks. The pendulemic riffery beginning 'A Funeral For The Masses' is the stuff homicidal circle pits are made of, and damned if Barnes doesn't actually use vocal inflection to deliver quite possibly the best performance (in my opinion) of his career, Cannibal Corpse/SFU included. A couple of the faster moments of Swarm can be found in the frantic one-two punch of 'Multiple Counts Of Murder', and 'Obsessed With Homicide', the latter standing out on the album, and is sure to silence all the "SFU clone" accusations of the band's detractors. The ending third of 'Sadistic' finds skinsman Tuomo Latvala injecting a slight death'n'roll flavour into his performance, recalling parts of For Maggots... , and 'Cannibal Gluttony' kind of blows past without anything memorable, as does 'I Killed You', but 'Heading Towards The Butchery' spot-welds things back on track quite nicely, where they remain through the album closer 'A Violent Side Of Death'. Thankfully, Chris "That Cookie Monster shit? I invented it!" Barnes approached this band as it deserved to be, with little thought for personal success, and led by the simple desire to churn out some eardrum-shredding death metal. You know that "one good album" all the older Cannibal fans that didn't follow to SFU hoped Barnes still had in him? Here it is. But don't for a second think that Barnes "made" this band. Torture Killer was a solid death band starting out, and the years between albums show marked improvement in both songwriting and focus. If For Maggots To Devour was a scattered shotgun blast, Swarm is a sniper rifle pointed at the base of your skull, prepared to sever it from your spinal column with one deadly shot. -------------------- The Gauntlet review by Erin Fox, rating 4 / 5 In consideration of the fact that Torture Killer initially started out as a Six Feet Under cover band, it is particularly sweet justice that the legendary Chris Barnes has joined up with the group as a full-time member. Having already made a name for themselves with a well received, duly powerful 2003 debut, “For Maggots To Devour”, Torture Killer has returned with their idol at the helm for this vital death metal milestone. Produced by Barnes and perfected by the superior mixing skills of Erik Rutan, “Swarm!” slashes away at the listener’s aural faculties with razor sharp riffing, battering double-kick fueled rhythms and of course, the signature undead growl of Barnes, with the combined din leaving mile-high stacks of decaying corpses in the aftermath of its supernatural devastation. An immense, chugging riff powers “Forever Dead”, a cut strikes the senses like a blunt weapon, bludgeoning the listener into submission with relentless double bass flurries and zombified headbanging grooves. Twin guitar harmonies by guitarists Tuomas Karppinen and Jari Lane during this track’s outro provide the type of diversity that makes the music of Torture Killer appealing. In an age where most death metal bands equate technicality with brutality, the band proves that it is possible to be focused on groove and melody and still come across as being extraordinarily weighty. This type of enhancement also crops up on the memorable “Multiple Counts Of Murder”, a track that incorporates speedy, Exodus-style thrashing sequences and purely overwhelming and infectious chorus breakdown. “Cannibal Gluttony” stands as being one of the tracks that most unquestionably bears a distinct Six Feet Under vibe, but manages to be even more dynamic with a lead break that is musically reminiscent of King Diamond and a furious wall of guitars that purely slaughters during the track’s chorus. The only real complaint about this otherwise outstanding effort is the infrequency of guitar solos. Quite often, the two axe-wielders will take part in contrasting harmonies to give the music a counterpoint to the more straight-ahead material but rarely do you hear the guitars actually breaking off into a lead at all. In all actuality, the more straight ahead approach is more suited to the type of sound the band is going for, but it would be nice to hear a bit of fretboard blazing under the barks of Barnes. That said, every track you’ll find here is indeed completely killer, making for yet another essential bullet in the proverbial belt of Barnes’ accomplishments. Once again delivering exactly what the fans expect and ravenously fiend for, “Swarm!” will reign amongst the most mandatory death metal releases you’ll hear in 2006. -------------------- www.smother.net review by Jeremy, no rating available The story of Torture Killer is one of true metal irony. This Finnish quintet began as a Six Feet Under cover band who decided to write some of their own tunes in that style and managed to attract such interest from Six Feet Under vocalist Chris Barnes that he offered to fill the band’s vocal position. Insert irony here. Torture Killer are actually far better at being Six Feet Under than Six Feet Under. Of course, their gore-soaked sounds are lightyears from revolutionary, but the writing and performance are far more interesting than the band they set out to copy. If you’re strong enough to stay awake through the lethargic intro title track (or smart enough to skip it), you’re rewarded with some decent mid-paced death that’s better than anything Six Feet Under have mustered since Haunted. These guys represent a brutal sonic relic from a death metal time that is often obscured by upbeat Swedish riffing. A comparison to Obituary is too accurate to pass up, but they’re clever enough with putting songs together to avoid a fate as just another riff-regurgitation machine. As you surely can guess, themes of violence and death abound, but I guess Chris Barnes is only delivering what the people expect. Torture Killer's Swarm! is unapologetically ugly music that would have fit perfectly in an earlier time of death metal. -------------------- Schwermetall.ch review, rating 12/13 Verdammt. So ein Brett hätte ich nicht erwartet. Damit ist die Sensation perfekt. Im Jahre 2002 fanden sich eine Hand voll musikbegeisterte Finnen zusammen, um - nach einem Six Feet Under Songtitel benannt - eben jenen zu huldigen. Damals fabrizierten Torture Killer noch eher durchschnittlichen, merklich von ihren bereits erwähnten Idolen beeinflussten, Death Metal nach traditioneller Florida Machart. Nun, zugegebenermassen hat sich daran noch immer nicht viel geändert, aber Torture Killer einfach als deren simples Konglomerat abzustempeln trotzte auch schon damals jeder Logik. Die Laufbahn dieser sehr jungen Band hat nun jedoch derart gigantische Ausmasse angenommen, wie man sie im Vornherein nicht erwarten konnte. Es gibt dermassen viele talentierte Bands weltweit, die sich grosszügig im Metier des groovigen Death Metals der Florida-Ikonen bedienen. Doch nur Torture Killer konnte das Glück zuteil werden, dass Grossmeister Chris Barnes sich ihrer annahm und nicht nur das komplette Album produzierte, sondern nun sogar als festes Mitglied involviert ist! Da ist es natürlich selbstverständlich, dass Herr Barnes auch das zusteuert, was er am besten kann, nämlich mit Leib und Seele sein Stimmorgan zu maltätrieren. Eingeleitet wird "Swarm!" durch den gleichnamigen Titelsong, welcher auch ohne exzessive Vokalisierung hervorragend funktioniert. Gefolgt wird dieser von dem äusserst druckvollen Brecher "Forever Dead", der zum Ende hin sogar mit eindrucksvoller, majestätischer Erhabenheit zu begeistern weiss. Genau das ist auch der eigentliche Unterschied zu Six Feet Under, denn solche – in einen klaren und nicht zu modernen Sound verpackte - Melodien wären dort vollkommen Fehl am Platz. Dass man die auch schon vorher sehr präsenten Vergleiche der Presse mit "Swarm!" allerdings nicht aus der Welt räumen kann, dürfte eigentlich jedem klar sein. Dies liegt aber wohl auch nicht im Interesse der Band, denn manche Songs hätten von jedwedem Werk der amerikanischen Death Metal Legenden stammen können. Geschwindigkeitstechnisch spielt sich das Album vor allem im gehobenen Midtempo Bereich ab, was durch zahlreiche zähen und mahlenden Passagen ergänzt, den Songs nur zu Gute kommt und mit einer selten erlebten Intensität das Old School Massaker perfektioniert. Erwähnenswert wären vor diesem Hintergrund neben "Forever Dead" vor allem noch "Multiple Counts Of Murder", "Sadistic" sowie das brachiale "Heading Towards The Butchery". Eins haben dabei aber alle Songs gemein. Sie sind sehr simpel gestrickt (im positiven Sinne natürlich) und kommen immer auf den Punkt, ohne sich dabei in - gar nicht erst vorhande - technische Spielereien und vertracktes Gefrickel zu verfahren. "Swarm!" ist ein wirklich hervorragendes Old School Death Metal Album geworden, welches echte Ohrwurmqualitäten bereithält und Torture Killer unter Garantie eine massive Fangemeinde aufbauen und festigen wird. -------------------- Metalcovenant review, rating 7 / 10 For once, here is something from Finland that is not commercial keyboard-based pop. Torture Killer live up to their name with their really groovy, brutal and aggressive metal. Front man and producer is no less than death metal legend Chris Barnes, famous from Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under. This guy knows how to growl with the right attitude, obviously. But in the production he has cut all edges in his voice and it sounds almost too much delivered in a box of cotton to be truly murderous. The production is overall a bit too smooth and distorted. The songs will probably be even better performed live. After the instrumental title track intro, the album starts with heavily grooving Forever Dead. A Funeral For The Masses is perhaps even more groovy. Brilliant riffing, in all its simplicity. The impressive row continues with Multiple Counts Of Murder. Interesting with a band in this genre that is not just aiming to be as hard and aggressive as possible, but actually can write great songs with variation. After this hard to beat start, the middle of the album naturally dips just a hardly noticeable bit. But Cannibal Gluttony is a fresh piece just in the right time to keep your interest up. The ending with A Violent Scene Of Death also a highlight spared to last. With a bit less mushy production, this could definitely be something. The songs are there and the underground star quality of Chris Barnes can lead Torture Killer quite far for the genre. Finland is alive and tortured! -------------------- www.blackangelpromotions.com review by black angel, no rating available What started off with a few friends having a good time jamming on SFU tunes has turned into a full-fledged riot act of vicious Death Metal. The band I speak of is Torture Killer, the latest and greatest from Metal Blade's roster. The name of the band automatically lets you know they're fans of the greatest Death Metal band ever assembled, Six Feet Under! (Yes, I'm biased and I can be!) Torture Killer's debut album, "For Maggots To Devour" was released in 2003 and shortly after, the band did a Finland tour in support of Vader. After this, the band had a chance to do their first ever European tour but right before the tour, the band suffered a change in vocalists. Sallinen (Funeral Feast) stepped up and helped the band out with the tour and frequent live dates thereafter. In September of '05, the band shared a split EP with fellow Death Metallers, Sotajumala. The EP was the first and only offering with Sallinen on vocals. As luck would have it, SFU's Chris Barnes caught wind of the band and of course the name intrigued him, after all he did write the tune "Torture Killer". Barnes contacted the band to show his support and in doing so he found out the band was still in need of a vocalist. You know what came next... The Grandfather of Death Metal offered up his services and took over duties as lead vocalist. All of this brings us to the band's second full length release and Barnes' vocal debut, which you'll find on Swarm! I've been counting the minutes, hours and days awaiting the arrival of this disc. How could I not, everything Chris Barnes puts his hands on instantly becomes gold to me! In all seriousness, I can't give Barnes all the credit, the other members of TK step up and pull their weight brilliantly. Swarm! is overloaded with ten tracks of Death Metal paradise and the disc doesn't even break the forty minute mark. If you're expecting another SFU album, don't, you'll be disappointed. Of course the lyrics fall along the same lines, after all Barnes is the singer. However, it's not the same band. For instance, SFU has only one guitarist in Steve Swanson, TK has two with Laine and Karppinen. The difference is more noticeable than you'd think, Swanson plays down-tuned with a ton of crunch and let's not forget the fact that he's backed by the best rhythm section in D.M. More or less, TK delves into the more traditional American styled Death Metal. The guitars aren't down-tuned that much, the leads have abit more melody and the breakdowns and tempo changes are more frequent. It's not a full-on attack of the senses from the get go either, of course it's plenty fucking heavy, but there is still some breathing room between songs. "Forever Dead" is a perfect example, it's packed with memorable hooks, grooves and more melody than you can shake a stick at! And yes you can "Hambone" to it. Barnes' presence is very strong in this track, some of his growls are so deep and stretched out that it's mind-boggling, it wouldn't surprise me if he passed out a few times pulling them off. "A Funeral For The Masses" carries much of the same aspects, the rhythm section is skin-tight and the breakdowns offer alot of ear-splitting grooves! My personal favorite off the disc is "Multiple Counts Of Murder". The track gets off to a blinding start with violent and aggressive guitar riffs and a barbaric rhythm section followed up by Barnes screaming his guts out. The chorus/breakdown is splendiferous, in the blink of an eye the pace slows down and Barnes' trademarked growls are blended perfectly with beautifully played leads that fall seamlessly and never let up as Barnes screams "Now It's Time To take My Revenge On The World Surrounding Me". I might be bold to say, but in my opinion this track turns into somewhat of a murder ballad and I can't help but love it! Now that we've been mindfucked with insatiable lullabies of murder, we find "Obsessed With Homicide", "Cannibal Gluttony" and "Heading Towards The Butchery" none are soft lullabies nor do they come across that way. Dead bodies, screaming agony, blood, guts and gore reign supreme on these tracks. My words could never express how fabulous Swarm! is, you'll just have to pick it up for yourself and see. Barnes and his newly found band mates fuck shit up in a major way! If you're a fan of the man's past work (SFU and Cannibal Corpse) you'll find yourself right at home. Aside from the new Kataklysm and maybe a new Six Feet Under cd, nothing could knock this disc out of my number one slot for record of the year. The Grandfather of Death Metal has brought a new feast for the masses, we should rejoice while dining on the "Blood Of The Insane" and welcome our newly found brethren of Torture Killer into a criminally insane family. -------------------- Metal-rules.com review by Lord of the Wasteland, rating 3,5/5 In something of a reversal of the Ripper Owens/Judas Priest scenario, devout Finnish Six Feet Under fans, Torture Killer, actually landed Chris Barnes to become their new lead vocalist on sophomore effort, SWARM!. With Barnes handling many of the lyrics, the body count is high and the gore factor is cranked to eleven, so there are no surprises there. What is surprising on SWARM! is that Barnes’ vocal style hearkens back to TOMB OF THE MUTILATED-era Cannibal Corpse with less reliance on the squeals and garbled gibberish of some later Six Feet Under releases. Barnes also gets behind the production desk (with Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan handling the mix) giving SWARM! a punchy, organic sound with everything balanced nicely, a lesson he could bring to his own albums, which up until last year’s 13, have been plagued with muddy, sludgy tones and uneven mixing. The rest of Torture Killer provides the necessary components but the bottom line is, SWARM! sounds like the best Six Feet Under album since MAXIMUM VIOLENCE, or at the very least, Barnes fronting an SFU cover band with some revitalized chops. The fact that the simplistic songwriting has been left buried with Six Feet Under, “Swarm!” bursts out of the gates with an arpeggio-laced, mid-paced death metal groove that continues on through much of the CD. Jari Laine’s riffing is chock full of licks stripped from your favorite Obituary, Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under albums and Torture Killer seems to unashamedly relish in this. “Forever Dead” and “Sadistic” contain enough chunky chords to get necks snapping and Tuomas Karppinen’s soaring solo on the former is something to hear. Likewise, the tweedly solo snuck into the speedier “Multiple Counts of Murder” shows Torture Killer has a little more to offer than their heroes. The grinding riffs and hard-hitting drums of Tuomo Latvala highlight “Sadistic,” a groovy slice of wickedness featuring some of Barnes’ most brutal lyrics in years. While Barnes’ voice is clearly not capable of the register it once possessed, he does stretch his throat in places here, most notably the gut-churning growl at the end of “I Killed You” and a lower-than-low croak on the title track. The occasional squeal is brought to the table but Barnes mainly sticks to the traditional death metal growling. SWARM! may very well be the greatest Six Feet Under album the band has never done. When the student outsmarts the teacher, it is time for the teacher to rethink his future and with a box set and a return to form of sorts with 13, Six Feet Under could be on permanent hiatus if Torture Killer clicks. Barnes has already said he is a “full-time member” of Torture Killer, so where that leaves Six Feet Under has yet to be determined. SWARM! is a solid, old school death metal album without a lot of frills but enough talent behind it to stand out from the pack, so fans can rejoice while Chris Barnes works out exactly which direction he wants to go in with his main gig. -------------------- www.metallian.com review by Ali, rating 70/100 A partial list of things not usually greeted with enthusiasm here at Metallian Towers includes words like Finland, Chris Barnes, Six Feet Under and long distance relationships. Surprising then that the more Swarm! floods out of the speakers at Metallian Towers, the better the whole damn putrid death metal droppings sound. In other words, maybe four negatives do a make a right! Right now Torture Killer, which is named after a Six Feet Under song and as legend has it started out as a Chris Barnes cover band, must be as happy as Donald Rumsfeld at a ballistic missile bombing of some far away country (ah, that long distance relationship again!). The Finns, having managed to nick their favourite growler as a loaner, have also converted the coup into a deal with Mr. Metal Blade and issued an album full of pounding death metal, strong, but basic, sound and a killer cover illustration. In other words, this is the best thing Chris Barnes has been involved with since his days as a fine young cannibal. In fact, songs like Sadistic, A Funeral For The Masses or Cannibal Gluttony (hint!) are probably going to lead to the firing of the whole lot of them in Six Feet Under in favour of the pesky Finns on this album. The songs are surprisingly powerful and dynamic, the bass audible, the drum triggers together and the guitars sharp. Even Chris Barnes is more in tune with himself in Cannibal Corpse than his shoddy warbling in 6FU. Does that mean it is always an advantage to record the music and the vocals separately? Maybe not, but it sure works here. Songs like the aforementioned Cannibal Gluttony with its digitized effect, Forever Dead with its enthusiastic frolic through the minefields of death metal psychosis or Obsessed With Homicide and its varied and entertaining riffs are sure to bring any party to its natural conclusion. Who knows, maybe this is the way of the future and Glen Benton and Vital Remains were only a dry run for things to come? Bands of tomorrow will not only travel in separate buses; they will live and play on different continents hence ensuring stable line-ups for decades to come. So far, so good.

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