Those Who Bring the Torture

Tank Gasmask Ammo

Pulverised Records 2008

Those Who Bring the Torture are from Sweden and it shows.  on their second full length album, Tank Gasmask Ammo they revel in a punchy, down-tuned death metal sound reminiscent of Into the Grave era Grave.  Brutal and violent, TWBTT belt out chunky riffs and warmachine-like drumming throughout album opener, Napalm God.  All Hail the Goat has an powerful groove accented by an eerie melody that elevates this song to the album's high point.  Celebrating Gamma Bliss steamrolls along like a heard of pissed of Rhinoceros trampling everything beneath its steady double bass attack.  It has a strange industrial passage at its center which heralds a speedy assault.  Riders on the Mushroom cloud is propelled on its course by alternating between an impressive traditional Stockholm main riff and a deadly frenzied piece of guitarwork.  On the ridiculously titled When Humans And Axes Collide a hammering main riff punches my ear drums.   About the only guitar solo of note is on Upon the Bone Throne and stands as a huge contrast to the slowed down meaty riffing.  Melodic leads abound though on before Reveler in Rot before the song erupts like a volcano with spastic blasts of speed.  Essentially the sound on Tank Gasmask Ammo can be summed up succinctly as a less groove oriented version of early Grave.  TWBTT aren't doing anything innovative, yet their old school approach is exciting in its own way.  An exercise in traditional death metal mayhem devoid of any of these lifeless technical experiments that so many are obsessed with today.