Sometimes more often than few an old band discovers triumph without selling out their principles. Few readers probably remember Torture Squad’s debut album back in 1998 “Shivering” an old school death record that few exaggerated its importance in Brazil’s metal history, but that marked the start of a career that despite a few “critics” (like myself) has elevated the name Torture Squad from an unknown project to a Brazilian representative of death/thrash metal.

To be completely honest, after listening to “Shivering” a couple of years ago I never bothered to look for the rest of their “portfolio”; having been totally discourage with a record that not only sounded terrible thanks to a worst than mediocre production but that didn’t offered any memorable riffs that would make me want to take another spin at their work, I found myself today with having to review another one of their records, and so the dissolution started to fade, the bad memories went away and as I heard the new Torture Squad the band has firmly elevated itself from my previous mediocre idea of them to a band that is worthy of my time, my money and my praises.

Please start the album by skipping over MMXII, the first intro track that only gets on the way of some thundering death metal, and sounds like the intro of an epic power metal album more than the intro for a Panzer. The first thing that strikes me, is the clear and voluptuous production, making every instrument sound thick, powerful, relevant. The album “Prevail” from Kataklysm comes to mind, as the sound and catchy riffs are well rounded by the great production.

As some other reviewers from different magazines have stipulated before me, the great mix of death metal power with catchy thrash riffs contained in “Hellbound” makes the album pleasant yet totally skull crushing. The guitars are sharp and they for the most part dominate the album, but there is a track that gives the bass some strong lines and a supreme presence, “Chaos Corporation” brings Castor (the bass player, some Brazilians if you know anything about football only use a nickname instead of their birth name) front and center to show just exactly what he is made of, and the results are great.

Overall, I went from a skeptic about Torture Squad to a true believer, I can even challenge that Krisiun days of Brazilian domination are over!