TORTURE
KILLER
Chris
Barnes-Vocals
Jari Laine -Guitars
Tuomas Karppinen-Guitars
Kim Torniainen-Bass
Tuomo Latvala-Drums
Torture
Killer first started out as a fun project during the
spring of 2002 when the guys hung out at their rehearsal
room drinking beer and playing their favorite Six
Feet Under and Obituary songs. After a couple of months
a sudden possibility to play live at a local metal
show rose out of nowhere and after a small discussion
they agreed to perform a set of SFU cover songs. The
band name was chosen after a track they were to play
that night: Torture Killer. After that weekend they
decided to try writing similar material of their own.
The
tracks turned out to be total killers with a massive
sound and groove. From the first chord they played
together it was obvious that Torture Killer would
not remain as a "weekend boozing" project,
it sounded way too good for that. Six months later,
Torture Killer were in the studio recording 9 tracks
to be released on Severe Music, the label of one of
the members of Torture Killer. The final result for
this low budget recording (recorded, mixed and mastered
in 30 hours) was perfect. It was exactly what they
were after and the band decided to try their luck
and sent promo-copies to a small amount of respectable
metal labels. The end result was Torture Killer signing
a deal in spring 2003 with Hammerheart.
The debut album "For Maggots To Devour"
was released through Karmageddon Media in October
2003. After the release the band did a tour in Finland
supporting Vader and shortly after that embarked on
their first small European tour with Cropment and
Poppy Seed Grinder. The line-up changed just a few
days before the European trip and Sallinen (Funeral
Feast) stepped in to save the day and the band continued
to use his help after the tour with random live dates.
In September 2005 Torture Killer shared a release
with a fellow Finnish death metal murder-machine Sotajumala.
The split EP showcased two new Torture Killer tracks
with Sallinen on vocals and was released as 7"-vinyl
and as a CD single.
The
guys never would have guessed where they would stand
with this band in 2005 when they first started playing
together under the name of Torture Killer. A majority
of the interviews Torture Killer did to promote the
debut album " For Maggots To Devour " asked
if they knew what the Six Feet Under guys and especially
Chris Barnes thought about the band. “After
all, the link between us and his work with SFU is
more than obvious. Truthfully, we kinda wondered that
ourselves as well. Well, now we know” states
the band.
Chris
Barnes contacted Torture Killer last October (2004)
with a very supportive and friendly note. The name
Torture Killer caught his attention and he was intrigued
enough to check the band out. This is when Barnes
found out about the difficult situation they were
at with the line up and offered to step in as the
new Torture Killer vocalist and that he would handle
the vocals on Swarm! - The renamed 2nd album. Here’s
what he has to say about it:
”I’m
very happy to announce that I have joined the band
Torture Killer full time. These guys are some of the
best musicians I have ever been involved with, and
I am 100% intent on using all my resources and energy
to help propel this band to the top of the death metal
food chain. I am extremely pleased with the songs
we’ve put together for the CD ‘Swarm!’,
and I can’t wait to get out on tour with the
band and kill every one of you sick fuckers!!! See
you soon.” – Barnes
With
a back catalogue including death metal classics such
as Butchered at Birth, Tomb of the Mutilated, Haunted
and Maximum Violence it is obvious that the eyes of
death metal fans will be on Torture Killer - in good
and bad.
The
basic tracks for Swarm! were recorded back in January
2005, Chris did his vocals at The Hit Factory, Florida
in May/June with Chris Carroll and the album was mixed
and mastered by Chris and Erik Rutan in October. Cover
artwork was done by infamous artist Wes Benscoter
(who has done covers for such bands as Mortician,
Cattle Decapitation, and Vehemence) who gave the album
the visual impact it needed.
Discography:
Sotajumala / Torture Killer Split 7" & CD-Single
(2005)
For Maggots To Devour (2003)
http://www.myspace.com/torturekiller
