For Maggots to Devour

Some album titles really have a way of letting you know exactly what type of music to expect. If an album is titled Thuggin' With My Dogs in the Hood, chances are you're getting gangsta rap. If you see a title like Achin', Breakin', Cheatin' Lonely Heart Cowboy, get ready for some country. And when an album is called For Maggots to Devour, what else could it be but death metal? Well, that's exactly what Torture Killer provides on this 2004 release — at least in terms of lyrics and vocal style. The lyrics go out of their way to be as gross as possible, graphically describing things like mutilation, dismemberment, and cannibalism — and the vocals favor a choked, larynx-shredding, demonic-style growl. Lyrically and vocally, this Finnish band is right out of Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, and Obituary (three of death metal's most influential bands). But when it comes to guitar riffs, Torture Killer are far from death metal purists and aren't fast enough to be called grindcore. True grindcore bands consistently play at the same ultra-fast, 500-miles-per-hour tempo, whereas Torture Killer's riffing is closer to thrash. This band has a definite sense of groove, and many of the riffs wouldn't be out of place on an album by Anthrax, Metallica, or Megadeth (although those bands are a lot more musical). People who don't care for death metal may be offended by Torture Killer's gross-out lyrics, which are difficult or impossible to understand without the lyric sheet. But then, most death metal is meant to be an inside joke, and this CD ultimately comes across as tongue-in-cheek more than anything — think of For Maggots to Devour as a Wes Craven horror movie with a beat. And for those who appreciate the inside joke, For Maggots to Devour offers an inspired and exhilarating, if predictable, dose of bombast.