I lucked out on this one. I showed up at Pinky's this past Wednesday to hang out with my new friends Iconocaust. Shred had given me a call and said that their new CD was finished and he had a signed copy for me to pick up at their show. Definitely pick up "The Natural Evolution of Metal" from there website! Awesome stuff! I wasn't planning on doing a review that night but my photographer had come with me and Iconocaust set had been pushed back to 10:45 and Torrid Flesh was just about to start playing.
I feel I must start off this review with a public apology! My experience with Death Metal has been dominated by seeing bands with an all male line up. Because of this I have assumed either women didn't like or want to play in this genre of music, because I have not seen them I think that I assumed that they were not capable. I was wrong. The last two shows have proven to me that I was totally wrong; first with Lisa the powerhouse drummer for Iconocaust and now with Holly the ear blistering lead singer for Torrid Flesh. So to all the women of Death Metal, you have my heartfelt apologies!
I had never heard of Torrid Flesh before they went on stage, and when I saw who the lead singer was I must admit my first impression was ohh no, I'm gona have to sit through an hour or so of "I'm so suicidal" Goth music. But when Holly started to sing I was once again blown away. I have always been under the impression that in the Death/Black metal scene the singers are trying to sound a bit demon like. Holly sounds like the Devil's bride is screaming at you straight from the depths of Hell! Damn! Forceful, strong and powerful, and when she screams the image of a banshee is the only thing close that comes to mind. This is when I new I was going to review this band. I turned to Jerome, who does all my photography and was about to tell him to start snapping shots, he was already on it. I sat down to listen and was amazed by Holly's vocals, when she screams your skin actually crawls! Holly Brannan by far is one of the top Death metal vocalists that I have ever heard! Mike Kibler and Mike Brannan's guitar playing has a bit of an old school sound that sort of reminds me of early Slayer, you just want to raise your fist and bang your head. The real driving power of this band comes from drummer Richie Tice. This guy is absolutely incredible! Fast, furious and non stop, the beating will continue even after you submit! Torrid Flesh is tight, well practiced with an extremely heavy sound and loud, way loud, I am writing this 2 days later and I am still deaf! I can't even talk on the phone due to the ringing in my ears!
If you are into hard core no compromise metal this is a band to check out! With music this hard I doubt that they will be able to get much play on main stream radio but as long as their refusal to compromise continues I can foresee a strong cult following for this band. Torrid Flesh does have a CD out but as of yet they do not have a website to link too, you can contact them at mwelding@ix.netcom.com. They will be playing at the Beach on October 21 at 8:00 and at the Larimer Lounge on October 23 show starts at 1:00 pm and last till 6: pm (several bands).
As predicted the sound system at Pinky's is top notch. Awesome set up, drink specials, and friendly employees make this venue an awesome spot to catch any show. I have been told that Pinky's is putting on a PBS late night metal show with the video recording they get from each show but I have not received details on this as of yet.
Also on Sunday the 23rd I will be at Cervantes on Welton St. in Denver doing a review on Obsession. Show starts at 6 and is supposed to run till 10 with at least 5 bands playing. This is a techno band and I have been told this should be a great show. So come on out and join us!
Final note, the Grateful Web is going to be starting up an online local band calendar. If you would like to have the dates for your band posted e-mail me at darhine@gmail.com. We are accepting all dates from all genres of music. Please include a brief description of the type of music you play and contact info such as websites, e-mail and phone numbers you can be reached at.
