Artist: Torpefied Bloodlust
Country: USA
Label: Perverse Homage
Formats: Demo CDr
Year: 2026
After recording a bunch of demos around the 2020s, only a small portion of which were actually distributed, things went eerily quiet around Torpefied Bloodlust. It’s therefore not surprising that this American black metal band has remained a mystery or even completely unknown to many. But, just as unexpectedly as it more or less disappeared, the band is now back. And not even with a new demo, but with a full-length album presented on CDr via Perverse Homage.
Most of the material released under the Perverse Homage label falls within the raw or even lo-fi realm of Black Metal, and although Torpefied Bloodlust may not be entirely different, it is still a remarkable band on the label’s roster. The vast majority of this untitled album, which doesn’t even reach half an hour in length, is played with the accelerator firmly pressed down. The fast tempo is not the only thing that stands out, the less gritty production, compared to label mates Seance In Darkness To Shake The Firmament, Spirit Of Impurity and Orgy Of Carrion, does too. The result is something I mainly associate with the kind of Black Metal that came out of countries like the USA, Germany, Greece and Poland around the first half of the 00s.
The relentless drums, the barely audible riffs, the screeching vocals: it’s absolutely brimming with Black Metal clichés. Add to that a raw but adequately clear production, and it’s as if time has stood still. This is the kind of Black Metal that was referred to in those years as ‘Misanthropic’ or ‘Hateful’ Black Metal, and not without reason: the vitriol and contempt for humanity are spattered all over it. It’s rather one-dimensional, very little sophisticated and not very original either, but it is thoroughly enjoyable and for those who lived through those bygone years, it may even evoke a certain sense of nostalgia.
