Severe Torture - Bloodletting
Karmageddon Media - Karma 076 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Considering their back catalogue consists of two full length albums, a five-track demo and a two-track 7", one might be tempted to suggest that it's perhaps a little early for brutal deathsters Severe Torture to be releasing a live documentation of their music - particularly as the entirety of the aforementioned Baptized In Virginal Liquid demo is included on the CD as well! However, as it turns out, this release is more than likely a contractual move, a farewell release for Karmageddon Media before the release of Severe Torture's new album later in the year.
Thankfully though, despite the lack of an extended back catalogue from which to draw their live set from, Severe Torture have provided a pretty good live CD by dint of having notable producer Tue Madsen record their set and getting Hans Pieters at Excess Studios to mix and master the whole kit and caboodle - so, barring some nastily ringing snares, the sound quality is clear, professional and brutal. Sadly, the crowd are practically inaudible even between the songs, so that all-important live atmosphere is somewhat lacking, but brutal death fans who are new to the band will still find much to like. The tracks are tightly performed, meaning that tracks like 'Decomposing Bitch', 'Pray for Nothing' and 'Misanthropic Carnage' sound as shredding and heavy as they do on the records. Also, the cover of Pestilence's 'Lost Souls' sounds pretty ace as well, standing up comparably to the original.
The main draw, however, will be the inclusion of the group's original demo recording, which gives a fair insight into why the band were signed - Cannibal Corpse worship may make up more than a fair proportion of the band's creative impetus, but the musicianship is tight and the tracks are suitably brutal and interesting enough for fans of the style to be entertained. So, this is far from an essential purchase for those who have both of the group's full-lengths (unless you really need that demo and cover track), but as an introduction to the band, you could do far worse.
6.5/10 (add another point if you don't own anything by Severe Torture)
Severe Torture Official Website
Karmaggedon Media Website
Karmageddon Media - Karma 076 - 2005
By Philip Whitehouse
Considering their back catalogue consists of two full length albums, a five-track demo and a two-track 7", one might be tempted to suggest that it's perhaps a little early for brutal deathsters Severe Torture to be releasing a live documentation of their music - particularly as the entirety of the aforementioned Baptized In Virginal Liquid demo is included on the CD as well! However, as it turns out, this release is more than likely a contractual move, a farewell release for Karmageddon Media before the release of Severe Torture's new album later in the year.
Thankfully though, despite the lack of an extended back catalogue from which to draw their live set from, Severe Torture have provided a pretty good live CD by dint of having notable producer Tue Madsen record their set and getting Hans Pieters at Excess Studios to mix and master the whole kit and caboodle - so, barring some nastily ringing snares, the sound quality is clear, professional and brutal. Sadly, the crowd are practically inaudible even between the songs, so that all-important live atmosphere is somewhat lacking, but brutal death fans who are new to the band will still find much to like. The tracks are tightly performed, meaning that tracks like 'Decomposing Bitch', 'Pray for Nothing' and 'Misanthropic Carnage' sound as shredding and heavy as they do on the records. Also, the cover of Pestilence's 'Lost Souls' sounds pretty ace as well, standing up comparably to the original.
The main draw, however, will be the inclusion of the group's original demo recording, which gives a fair insight into why the band were signed - Cannibal Corpse worship may make up more than a fair proportion of the band's creative impetus, but the musicianship is tight and the tracks are suitably brutal and interesting enough for fans of the style to be entertained. So, this is far from an essential purchase for those who have both of the group's full-lengths (unless you really need that demo and cover track), but as an introduction to the band, you could do far worse.
6.5/10 (add another point if you don't own anything by Severe Torture)
Severe Torture Official Website
Karmaggedon Media Website
