Tormentor: Anno Domini (1989)

I previously discussed Tormentor with their 1987 demo/album The 7th Day of Doom.  Despite the fact that Tormentor has never released a true full-length album (I am not even counting that mess released in 2000 when the band had changed their sound so drastically as to be unrecognizable as the same band), they remain one of the primary influences on the burgeoning black metal genre in the early 1990's.  This release, their second demo, is perhaps even more of a foundation for the black metal scene.  And just like the previous release, it is notable for featuring Attila Csihar prior to his run in Mayhem.

Tormentor's sound on this release is a very primitive form of black metal, with massive influences from groups like Mercyful Fate and Venom.  In that respect, it is much closer to a traditional metal album than it is to what is classified as black metal these days.  There are definitely some elements though that have never changed with the genre that are present here.  The entire release is awash with a dark, malevolent and evil atmosphere that can be heard from the riffs down to the psychotic wailing vocals. 

The biggest highlight of the release is the vocals of Csihar.  His vocals are absolutely chilling, able to rise from a soft whisper to a blood-curdling shriek with ease.  And he definitely engages in some vocal acrobatics on this release, taking on a variety of vocal styles and shifting between them quickly and jarringly.  It is a true virtuosic performance.

There are a number of classic black metal tracks on this release, such as "Tormentor" and "Elisabeth Bathory".  This release is a true landmark in the formation of black metal, taking its cues from Mercyful Fate and expanding even further into the black void.  This absolutely needs to be checked out.

Tormentor: The 7th Day of the Doom (1987)

Black metal's roots are of course commonly associated with Norway, but the truth is that it has roots far deeper than that.  First wave black metal arose from a variety of places, such as the U.K. (Venom), Sweden (Bathory), Czechoslovakia (Master's Hammer and Root) and Denmark (Mercyful Fate).  Hungary's Tormentor was another first wave black metal band who had a major impact on the continued growth of the genre.

I was aware of Tormentor, mostly through the band's eponymous song, which has been covered by Dimmu Borgir and Slugathor (not to be confused with the Kreator song of the same name).  Tormentor's influence can be clearly heard in the works of Mayhem and other landmark bands in the black metal genre.  Tormentor's music is actually fairly complex, going through a number of musical sections, as opposed to the more simplistic sound of a lot of what black metal became.  This is especially true with songs like "Damned Grave", a nearly ten minute long instrumental.  And with the much more melodic sound, the band has more in common with Mercyful Fate than with Venom.  Sometimes the songs do drag on for a little too long, but by and large, this is a decent release.

One of the primary reasons that Tormentor is well-known, even if their music is not, is the presence of vocalist Attila Csihar.  Csihar of course replaced the deceased er, Dead in Mayhem and performs on the band's classic De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.  Unfortunately, so much of what made him such a compelling voice on that release is not present here.  He has a gruff vocal style, but does not engage in any of the vocal acrobatics or the blood-curdling snarl that he had on the Mayhem release.  He is clearly still finding his voice here.

This is one of Tormentor's demos and it is clear that the band was still a work in progress at this point in their career.  This is probably not an essential release, with the exception of the song "Tormentor".  If interested in checking out Tormentor, I would recommend Anno Domini instead.  Not that this one is bad, but it is very rough and raw.