Torpor ‘From Nothing Comes Everything’ LP/CS/DD 2015
It’s hard to believe that an entire two years has passed since Torpor initially released their debut EP Bled Dry, however, the band have packed a lot into those two years, including a myriad of live shows. Sharing stage space with the likes of Rabbits, Conan, Arabot, Sea Bastard, Manatees and Opium Lord, this varied mix of bands is almost as eclectic as the sound Torpor themselves possess.
Blurring the lines between sickeningly heavy sludge and atmospheric post metal was always going to leave them as somewhat of a stick in the gears, but even more so when they take much of their inspiration from 90s metalcore outfit Will Haven. Opinion was divided over Torpor when they released Bled Dry, with half of the underground community digging their misanthropic hybrid of sound and the other half looking like someone had just cut a fart and shouting “nu metal!” The Shaman’s own Jamie Grimes even likened the four-piece to Korn in his 2013 review of their EP. This is hardly surprising, however; harking back to their source of influence, Will Haven, who’ve had association with the likes of Deftones and Slipknot, that’s bound to trickle down somewhere.
The nay-sayers will be pleased to hear that Torpor have managed to retain all of their metalcore influence on first full length From Nothing Comes Everything while shedding any premise of suddenly bursting out with “aaare youuu REEEEADDDDDY”. This comes in part from vocalist Nats Spada’s pairing with guitarist Jon Taylor; the juxtaposition between Nats’ clean punk-sounding vocals and Jon’s monolithic roars make for an impressive choral match, but it’s when they’re both screaming to their lungs’ full capacity that the magic really happens, and it starts to sound like the soundtrack to a leviathan crashing through the ocean’s surface.
The production quality is really crisp, and you can genuinely hear every bleak, earth shattering riff as well as a fat, yet weirdly groovy bass line rumbling alongside it. It was recorded and mixed with Wayne Adams (Death Pedals, Shitwife, Ladyscraper) at Bear Bites Horse Studio (Yards, GHOLD), which goes a long way in explaining the epic feel this album has to it.
While Torpor’s previous release was a tad rough around the edges, From Nothing Comes Everything sees the band maturing in their sound, moving seamlessly from harrowing soundscapes to thundering passages of raw aggression like it ain’t no thang. They play with as much sincerity as ever, but this really feels like they’ve found their signature sound and it works. More of this please, loads more.
Label: Head Of Crom Records | Black Bow Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp
Scribed by: Angela Davey
