Swarm

Torture Killer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 21, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal Blade
• ASIN: B000E1XOG2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,110 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (4.5 stars) I enjoyed it!, April 5, 2006

By 

A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swarm (Audio CD)

Considering Chris Barnes fronts both bands, it's only natural that some fans would call Torture Killer a caricature of Six Feet Under, and say that these songs are Six Feet Under out takes. Torture Killer may be similar to SFU in some ways (mainly because both bands have frog throated vocals and gore-y lyrics), but "Swarm!" is also different in several ways. In fact, I believe that this album is actually better than Six Feet Under's last album, "13." For one, Barnes' vocals are quite a bit stronger, and more monstrous and visceral. Next, as track six ("Sadistic") shows, these drums wallop harder. And, finally, Barnes appears to be improving his skills as a producer, because "Swarm!" definitely has the better production of the two discs.

The album opens with the title track, which is a pounding, churning instrumental. Later on, "Forever Dead" and the aforementioned "Sadistic" have blistering, machine gun riffs; songs like "A Funeral For The Masses" and "Obsessed With Homicide" sport deep, surging grooves with fiery guitar licks; and, lastly, "Cannibal Gluttony" boasts a brutal, buzzsaw guitar attack and is capped off by a shrill, piecing shriek from Chris.

Torture Killer may be a side project, and some fans may think of them as a second-hand band, but "Swarm!" is quality death metal, and easily one of the finest death metal albums of 2006 so far. So, if you enjoy this album for what it is, you'll realize it isn't very original, but it is pretty darn awesome!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work, good quality death metal, February 23, 2006

By 

Total Scumbag "slayer_dude" (Hell) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swarm (Audio CD)

Torture Killer has returned and this time legendary death metal vocalist Chris Barnes of Cannibal Corpse/Six Feet Under fame is lending his signature vocal sound. The song structure on these songs is repetitive and follows a verse, chorus, verse, solo, type of format, so it is more predictable, but that is the style that is being played. Torture Killer, like Six Feet Under, specialize in the slow brutal riffs that you can just headbang and go along to. Something has to be said about the guitarwork on this album:phenomenal. The solo on "Multiple Counts of Murder" is one of the greatest death metal solos ever, an instant classic. "Obsessed with Homocide" another stand out track, as well as "I Killed You". I do agree that Chris Barnes is one of the best death metal vocalists ever, but this album is not his best work. This is still damn good, and you better pick this up as well as Torture Killer's old CD "For Maggots to Devour".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Chris Barnes best works..., April 6, 2006

By 

David Falzano (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swarm (Audio CD)

This is the album that Chris Barne's Six Feet Under should have made after it's debut 'Haunted,' but they never went in that direction. Instead, Six Feet Under kept on the straightforward brutal path but eventually became very simplistic & complacent in it's musical approach; mainly the last few albums. But recently with Torture Killer, Barnes shows that he can muster up some of that morbidness & apply it the way he used to not so long ago. Now of course this isn't all of Barnes doing here, but he really needed this album to give his ego a boost. Great straightforward death here, but surprisingly melodic here & there as well. Very good release!