Tormenta

La Ligne Apre

African Tape 2011

Skilled instrumental wizards, Tormenta, return for their second dose of melodies and metal.  A massive traditional metal sets events in motion on album opener, Pagan.  Then song hurtles into a tumbling passage, then circular movement greets chugging riffs.  Afterwards the song rebuilds itself with meaty segments and intricate fingerwork.  Not to mention the drummer is a diabolical fiend of tempo shifts, time changes and bombastic rhythm.  Subtle cymbal-work and a calm moment of introspection end with a jazzy melody as L'arche Interne gets underway.  Hypnotic calm guitarwork and tripping drums instill a bit of melancholy in the listener as the song progresses, which brings to mind Irepress.  Sinister, metal riffs, swirling like hair as you bang your head, introduce Felure.  Heavy chugging, perhaps a little like Meshuggah, though not near as calculated and bland form the inner core of the track.  Up next is La Sensation De Membre Fantome, which for me has an almost Cynic-esque feel to it.  Strong metal riffs and progressive edges flesh out the song.  The song finally dissolves into madness, squealing guitars and drum explosions.  The title-track brings to mind Atheist at their most exploratory, though without any of the deathly vocals of course.  Album closer, Ubris immediately hops onto a searing guitar solo to compliment the instrumental insanity jammed into those opening moments.  However, the evolution of the song turns, tranquil, jazzy passages and that ever mentioned, repetitive, circular guitar.  Delicate guitarwork and a plodding bass-line weave a dreamlike state for most of the song, until gripping melodies grab hold.  Most of the songs on this album have a circular feel to the songwriting, it's as if the songs were constantly spinning around a central spoke.  These Frenchmen have weaned themselves somewhat from the black metal influences that dominated their debut EP.  But the results are no less spectacular.  Once again, I am reminded of Irepress, but with controlled doses of some of the more progressive extreme metallers out there such as Atheist and Cynic.