Artist: Torturer
Country: Chile
Label: Nuclear War Now! Productions
Formats: LP
Year: 2025
Originally released sometime in mid-1992 on a cassette tape, ‘Oppressed By The Force’ garnered quite a following in the Chilean underground. So much that the album was also issued on both CD and vinyl later that year, quite a rarity for a recording from that time and place. But that would not be the end for Torturer’s debut album, even in the years that followed ‘Oppressed By The Force’ the album kept its demand, eventually leading up to a few more reissues in the early 90’s. The fact that we’re now, anno 2025, still listening to this album, this time through a Nuclear War Now! Productions released reissue, is quite telling. Even now, the primal yet vibrant Death/Thrash Metal has lost surprisingly little of its power and overall potency.
Of course, it is a clear product of its time. While it definitely is a few steps ahead of the majority of their South American peers when it comes to musical finesse and craftsmanship, it bears its origin proudly. This means that the Death/Thrash Metal is largely based upon the American school of early Morbid Angel, Necrovore and especially Incubus: lots of interesting song writing, alluring tempo changes and above all: powerful riffing. Slightly technical, but with enough of that captivating South American flair to it to still also be able to appeal to fans of bands like Vulcano and Chakal.
Something that definitely helps matters is the surprisingly clear production. That was not so strange for Death Metal recordings in the USA or Europe, but for a South American album ‘Oppressed By The Force’ definitely sounds far superior compared to their contemporaries. But that’s not where superiority ends, although Torturer obviously builds further on the formula that was laid before them by Pentagram, they show to be far better musicians. Not only when it comes to the way they master their instruments, but evidently also when it comes to song writing. Without wanting to take anything away from the cult status and the influential importance of the Pentagram demos, what Torturer is bringing to the table is hardly inferior to the material that’s been delivered by the American and European bands in terms of production and musical ferocity.
Again, ‘Oppressing By The Force’ has been reissued quite a few times in different parts of the world since its initial release in 1992, the fact that there is still a demand says enough about what these Torturer guys were doing down there in Chile. Alright, it might not be on the highest level of global Death Metal around that time, but for sure there are far less good and inspiring albums that are currently being regarded as “classics”. Keeping this in the picture by a reissue every once in a while is therefore more than justified.
