Torchia – oNe (2013)

In a very crowded market for Melodic Death Metal in Finland today we have Torchia, a relatively new band trying to get their piece of the action. Hailing from Tampere, this band delivers their three-track demo with clear influences of the genre’s greats. Mixing elements of Children of Bodom and Kalmah, the band shows some promise but ultimately is missing a certain uniqueness to their music to really standout from the very crowded arena.

The demo opens with the high intensity “Nameless Story” that has a very typical Kalmah vibe. The riffing is quite solid and so are the vocals, but being a demo the production is not quite what it could be. The band’s ability to execute their songs is quite solid and shows that with a few more years of practice, they could stand out from the rest if they found their own sound.

The playful “Your Blood In My Veins” has a certain Thrash vibe to it that reminds us of Carcass, and gives the band some depth, allowing them to not be as cookie cutter as some people might expect. Closing with “Too Far, Too Late”, the band leads with catchy riffs and tight drumming. While this song is pretty ok, it still feels like the band is lacking in the creative department.

As a whole, “oNe” is a solid and promising release that shows that Torchia has enough skills to play music in this genre. If the band focused more on originality in the future, we have no doubts that they could make a name for themselves in the scene. This release is an interesting one for any fan of Melodic Death Metal that can get enough of melodic riffs that lead to headbanging moments.

Label: Self-Released

Release: October 9th, 2013

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Finland