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For those that have heard Tormentor's much-praised release Anno Domini, you have not really gotten a full impression of what this band was about until you have experienced
The Seventh Day of Doom. If you ever wondered where those hints of old school metal
came from, then look no further than the band's first demo, released in 1987. Some of the same songs are even present, though
in a much lengthier and less-structured form.
The music on this album is absolutely brilliant. Rather than being just
pure black metal, this shows an incredible amount of traditional metal and NWOBHM influence in the riffs and rhythms. Being
a demo, there are no time constraints to worry with, thus enabling the songs to evolve and unfold at a natural pace. It almost
feels like a jam session, at times, with the extended periods of music that lacks any sort of vocals. Once Attila's voice
is finally heard, the listener will probably either love it or hate it. That can be said of his other performances, but especially
here. He sounds less evil and more like a harmless troll, on this recording. Obviously, his style was still in its formative
stages, but the seeds were being planted. Really, the vocals take a back seat to the awesome musicianship and songwriting
that is on display, here. There are tons of old school riffs and great lead guitar solos that hearken back to Venom, Mercyful
Fate and Show No Mercy-era Slayer, among others. While it is very interesting to
hear earlier versions of classic Tormentor songs, the more obscure tracks are even more fascinating. "Branded By Satan", in
particular, stands out as a high-quality song that is dripping with darkness and an epic sense that was so rare for this type
of music, at that time.
Naturally, the production leaves a lot to be desired. For a demo from 1987, this does not sound
as bad as one might expect. The guitars are a little muddy, but the fuzzy tone is still discernible. The bass is higher in
the mix than what most black metal bands would allow, which is actually interesting. There is a negligible amount of hissing
present, but it actually adds character to the demo. The vocals are easily heard, and the guitar solos manage to cut through
the foggy sound, well enough. Everything can be followed, quite easily, and the truth of the matter is that this possesses
a better sound quality than some of the full-length studio albums that emerged in the early-to-mid '90s.
Listening
to The Seventh Day of Doom, one has to wonder how utterly epic Anno Domini would have been, had it retained the approach found here. There is a strong argument for both
sides, maintaining the epic arrangements or stripping it down and going for a more intense approach. Either way, this recording
demonstrates a level of skill that many bands at the time simply did not possess. If you have not heard this classic Tormentor
release, then seek it out or suck on the nearest shotgun.
(28 Nov. 2011)
Anno Domini (1988)
 Tormentor was formed in 1986, in Hungary, among the first black metal bands of the 1980s. In the
mid to late 80s, Tormentor had a lot of famous gigs in Hungary. After the first demo The Seventh Day of Doom (1987)
the band had more and more attention. Then, in 1988, they recorded Anno Domini which was definitely a highlight of
the extreme metal scene at the time.
For many reasons (e.g. old political system, censorship, state dependent labels)
it was impossible to release it, as a proper album, in Hungary in 1989 but thanks to the fans it started to be distributed
in the old underground way: copied by the fans from tapes to tapes and soon it arrived to Scandinavia and Norway. The band
was offered a deal for it on Euronymous' cult label Deathlike Silence Productions, but due to a lot of difficulties it was
delayed. Tormentor's vocalist Attila Csihar, who is now quite famous for his insane and inhuman way of using his voice, was
later asked to do the vocals on Mayhem's then long awaited De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas album. During Attila's stay
in Norway more concrete things were sorted out between Tormentor and DSP, so finally Deathlike Silence were ready to put the
album out, but before they came that far Euronymous was murdered, and the whole thing fell apart.
Tormentor, from the
very beginning, played black metal. They were influenced by the ancient black metal gods of the early 1980s, but they certainly
have their own unique originality. Some has even linked some parts of their sound to Hungarian folk music. Tormentor consists
of a strong musicianship, even though this is black metal in the old vein, it is being performed with great professionalism.
In songs as the instrumental track "Lyssa" you can hear some really amazing guitar work. In Tormentor's music you can hear
everything from raw and intense parts, both primitive and technical, to the more atmospheric type of themes with synth and
a slower, mid-paced tempo. Tormentor was in fact maybe one of the first black metal bands to compose atmospheric songs with
for example the use of synth. There are not many bands back in the late 80s who have created such music.
Anno Domini begins with an eerie intro, revisiting the main theme from
"Phantasm". The band manages to maintain the creepy and epic atmosphere that this theme has always had. This leads into the
unrelenting speed of "Tormentor I". This song is a combination of tremolo and thrash riffs, joined by very obscure and evil-sounding
vocals. The sound is somewhat muffled, yet the brilliance still shines through. This is especially true of the great old school
lead solo. There is absolutely no question as to what decade this was recorded. It is utterly consumed with the spirit of
1980s underground metal.
"Heaven" sounds very chaotic upon first listen, but if you examine it a little
closer you will be able to hear what it really going on. Influences from old Slayer and Possessed are very apparent. As on
the previous song, the lead solos really stand out. The song ends in a very classic way, with the slow build up and the violent
crash.
The next song is, probably, Tormentor's best known. The cover version found on
Dissection's Where No Dead Angels Lie E.P. was actually my introduction to this band's music. "Elisabeth Bathory"
is more mid-paced and atmospheric than the songs that came before it. There is somewhat of an epic feeling contained here
as this seems to be one of the most thought-out pieces on the album. The aura is very morbid and sinister. There are many
tempo changes throughout the song, taking you on a journey into the deep and murky forests of Eastern Europe.
"Damned Grave" speeds things back up, keeping the focus on the guitar riffs. This
song is pretty straight-forward, featuring more great solo-work near the end. Anno Domini was released at a time
when many of the black metal bands of the '80s had transformed into something else. Bathory was transitioning to the more
epic, Viking metal sound while Sodom went to pure thrash metal and Celtic Frost had completely sold out and begun to seek
the approval of the mainstream rock fans, failing miserably. Tormentor was among the few bands around this time, such as Mayhem
and Samael, that were keeping the black flame burning during the most obscure years of black metal.
The song, "In Gate of Hell", embodies the foggy and obscure feeling of late '80s
black metal. The intro is eerie and possessed of horror. Once the song gets going, the pace is unrelenting and violent, and
its influence on later bands is very obvious. About midway through, the pace slows down and the riffs seem far more reminiscent
of early '80s metal, rather than anything going on around the time when it was recorded, in 1988. Attila's morbid vocals and
the haunting lead solo really work to make this a very memorable song.
This old school feeling continues on "Transylvania", which is one of the shortest
songs on the album. After an odd build-up, the song unleashes its fury and vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
"Tormentor II" begins with more classic riffs that wouldn't be out of place on
an old Mercyful Fate album. The vocals are extremely hateful on this song, while the chaotic drums blast away in the background.
Halfway through, the pace changes as great thrash riffs play underneath a maniacal laugh.
The next song is "Trance", which is a brief song based off of "The Evil Dead",
featuring sinister chants and the possessed laughter taken from the movie. One of the good things about '80s metal was the
connection to the classic horror films. It really did well to tie in common interests. This song features a wicked tremolo
riff that is gone all too soon, and ends with another killer solo.
"Beyond" is mid-paced and morbid, utilizing some synth to add to the atmosphere.
This is one of the more hauntingly epic songs on the album, and it will remain creeping through the dark recesses of your
mind for years to come. The solo is masterful and it seems odd how solos were, more or less, omitted from most black metal
albums that came in the early 90s when they can do so well to add to the aura created by the song.
The thrash riffs return with "Apocalypse", which seems to owe something to bands
such as Kreator and Slayer. For an album with so many songs, it is amazing that there is no filler. Typically, you get a few
decent songs in the beginning and then a bunch of boring nonsense to fill out the album, ending with something more memorable
just so that you are left with a good impression. In the case of Anno Domini, the album contains many more surprises
as you go along.
"Lyssa" begins with great guitar work, almost reminiscent of old Iron Maiden. This
instrumental really displays the excellent musicianship of the band, and makes one wonder what could have been if they had
managed to record a couple full-length albums, rather than splitting up and fading into obscurity.
"Anno Domini" begins with something very similar to the "Phantasm" theme used for
the intro, before turning into pure and utter chaos on tape. Attila's demonic howls sound truly possessed.
If you don't own this album, you should go to any lengths necessary to acquire
it. Don't just talk about the band because you know the vocalist was in Mayhem and that Dissection covered one of their songs.
Don't get the album and just listen to the original version of "Elisabeth Bathory". Take the time to really listen to this
and experience all that it has to offer. This rare gem should not be as unknown as it seems to be.
(19 Mar. 2009)
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