Thrash metal is often written off as a lower class metal subgenre by people trying to be cool. Because thrash has a light-heartedness about it, it can be easy to do this. However, just because something is trying to be fun doesn’t mean it isn’t well-crafted. Anyone who has been to a questionable traveling amusement park can appreciate the art of Disneyworld. Torrefy is a tender young thrash metal band from Canada. According to their Facebook, they current reside in the “Unholy Cathedral of Sonic Worship,” are interested in “Boobs and Beer \m/” and their general manager is “Dio’s Ghost.” Need I say more?
The Infinity Complex is a very enjoyable album. In it’s full hour of music, you will find plenty of creative riffing that skirts the language used by many thrash bands. This isn’t Exodus or Testament. To me, it sounds somewhere in between Whiplash and Hellwitch - an odd pairing, but one that works. Even though some of it may be funny, their Facebook page points out something important to note when listening to this record: Torrefy is mostly interested in the crowd’s experience at their shows. Because of this, the emphasis in the music is put on the high energy and the thrilling. You won’t find many slow moments here. The default texture for Torrefy is galloping, breakneck thrash a la Dark Angel or the previously mentioned Hellwitch, and boy do they do it amazingly. Though this style makes up the bulk of the record, there are plenty of deviations from this and, for me, this is what gives the album its life. For example, the emotional, slower guitar solo sections on the title track or the black metal moments on “Celestial Warfare.” There’s also an array of extreme metal influences on “Killed to Death” such as doom metal and death metal. Finally, the album closes with a more mid-paced section about half way through the final track “Trial by Stone,” that echoes some of the more recent developments in atmospheric metal. These little moments really make this record stand out and give the more straight-forward thrash section more meaning. More importantly, they still serve the ultimate purpose that Torrefy seeks to fulfill: thrill their live audiences.
There are some drawbacks to this record. Occasionally, it will suffer from what I’ve heard called in other reviews “riffenstein” syndrome where the riffs don’t seem related but are pieced together regardless. As in the case in many thrash band’s early albums, there are masterful riffs that are individually well written but that are unified poorly. Listen to Eternal Nightmare or even Coroner’s first album and you’ll hear this. There’s also a distinct lack of memorable hooks or choruses. If Torrefy could write a “Bonded by Blood” or “Black Future” type song, I think they would gain some considerable popularity. Of course, they have time to do this and certainly the writing ability and discipline. I am excited by Torrefy’s potential and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their album.
You can buy this album and the band’s merch on their bandcamp page
