Torchure - The Essence (1993)

Hola, fucktards. Still mad about that emo post yesterday? Good. Here's some thrashy old school German death metal to keep your blood boiling. Torchure's The Essence might just be the best fucking death metal metal album with the worst cover art the Germany has ever seen, possibly even the world. Even though that shit went straight from my 7th grade sketchbook directly to the cover of their 2nd (and final) full length, don't hold that against them - the material here is truly excellent.

Picture a great mix of ripping death ala Pestilence, Slayer-ish thrash tempos, and a dark and brooding atmosphere in the vein of Asphyx. I absolutely love the production on this thing; buzzy and dense, with a pummeling drum sound that's akin to wandering onto the track at the Kentucky Derby and getting trampled to death (speaking of which, I think I read somewhere that a couple of members were killed in a car accident after their first LP Beyond the Veil was released? Someone confirm/deny/clarify).

Anyway, The Essence is a veritable cornucopia of awesome solos, burly death growls, and rock-solid musicianship, all performed with an absolutely ferocious delivery. I doubt most people would even give this a second glance if they saw it collecting dust in a bargain bin, but they'd be passing up a severely overlooked gem from one of Germany's most under-appreciated acts.

Tracklist:
1. Invisible Truth
2. Sense of Death
3. Sinister Seduction
4. Voice of Power
5. Terminus
6. No Rest in Peace
7. Between the Urges
8. The Essence
9. Cry of Madness
10. X
11. Traces
12. Lost Souls

for chure