Born as a band in Le Havre, France in 2009, TORTURE THRONE has just put out this MCD, a re-release of their 5 song demo, via Obscure Domain Productions. Their bio states that the band "stands clearly in opposition to any trend and core influences or any other cross genre pollution". So, yes, this is Death Metal; dark, heavy and fast. Production wise, the band evokes exactly the early 90s; heavy chainsaw guitar tone, obscure bass guitar, crispy drums rounded by some deep growls à la Barney Greeway. The overall sound is great and every instrument is audible in the mix. Upon my first listen, it reminded me of early DESULTORY. On one side, the instrumental was not a good choice for an opener. I guess the band wanted to set the mood, but ‘Golgotha’ was not interesting at all. On the other side, they have some really interesting songs, showcasing some catchy riffs and good structuring. I also liked the vocal work, specially on ‘Torture Throne’. "Thy Serpent’s Cult" is a great debut and it shows that the band is on the right path, but I think they need to evolve, build their own style and set themselves apart from countless bands playing pure Death Metal. TORTURE THRONE is a band to be on the look out for. They can only get better. Info here: www.myspace.com/torturethrone, www.myspace.com/obscuredomainproductions