Two Tracks CD
1. 11:11 2. Tidalwave
| PROMO REVIEW |
1. 11:11 2. Tidalwave |
| Torna-K are a five piece band from
Exeter that includes three local guys, Toad (ex Brutal Deluxe Bass) as well as an
extremely talented and entertaining vocalist from New Zealand. This sampler was
produced by Phil Johnstone (who has worked with Robert Plant)
and a decent job has been done. What we find here is powerful, traditionally based metal, it is songs built around a melody, songs with a memorable hook and vocals you can understand. There currently seems something of a resurgence of rock that pays great tribute to the classic roots and it's all very much in danger of coming back into vogue (hooray). With bands of this quality, it can only be a good thing. 11:11 is possibly the weaker of the two songs and doesn't show the band quite at their best. With slightly wobbly vocals and lacking real character, a gig back in April showed us that there is so much more available from their armoury with many better songs. However, Tidewave is hard rock that very much has a Freak Of Nature vibe, at points the vocals are so reminiscent of Mike Tramp (he didn't guest on this track did he?), which gives the whole song a feeling of reverence from the outset. Punchy, yet very gritty hard rock, edged with modern metal moulded into the shape of a creature that wreaks of pedigree and welcomes in anyone who has rock in their veins. It projects more confidence than teeth brushed with Colgate, it has more kick than Skippy on crack, but more than anything it contains soul and sentiment, those emo(tional) qualities that many bands would die for. It's always a problem with these two track CD's they never give you enough of an idea of what a band is about. It is difficult on that evidence alone, to weigh up if you're going to like a band with just hearing two tracks. Our expectations were high after seeing them live and it's hard not to be just a little disappointed with the quantity and selection, but this is tribute to the quality of the set. That said there is still some exceptional riffery and striking harmonies on show here and they create real songs which should be enough to convince you that Torna-K are worth keeping an eye on. Our advice is don't miss them live as they are a band with great potential! |
| Rigsby (26th June, 2002) Transcripts From The Downtuned www.downtuned.co.uk Band Website: Management email Promotion email |