A new album from The Tortured really has a way of hitting a classic punk rock soundscape from the tonality of the bass and guitars to the grittiness of the melodically driven vocals and even down to the way the drums sound, everything comes through with such an intensity and authenticity and punk rock that you just can't turn your head from it.
There are a few things that I really thought were impressive about this record aside from its incredibly spot-on sound which is things like how the guitar playing throughout the record at times, burst out into these insane guitar solos, and those are the kinds of things that kind of stand out a little bit more here and there throughout the Quiet the Nightmare EP.
You see, these guys really capture the old school Punk sound from the mid to late '80s for example. Bands like Richard hell and The Voidoids for example.
When you hear guitar work on that level mixed in with a punk sound that's so aesthetically perfected it blows you away.
These songs come from incredibly real places which is something that really draws your attention but then again, that's classic punk rock as well. Songs meant something and had messages for the most part.
Sometimes they were very political and other times they weren't.
These tracks can be very descriptive lyrically and they all have these intense messages behind them from a particular standpoint but no matter where that's coming from or what it's about, it's very personal and it's very real.
Even this comes through in true classic punk rock fashion.
The energy on this record is so awesome that it feels like you're listening to a live performance and maybe some of these songs were recorded live on the floor. Who knows.
Even if I'm wrong about that, the energy is raw here and it makes you want to see these guys alive in your face because if the energy on the record was captured this way, then seeing them live must be amazing.
I grew up with bands like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Ramones, Dead Kennedys, and so on.
I can tell you that The Tortured is the real deal and they bring back that same feeling for me when I listen to them.
It's a feeling that I've missed for quite some time and maybe it's just because I haven't looked for new punk rock bands in a while.
I'm not sure.
Either way, I'm very glad to have found these guys because it felt great to listen to this record and a lot of these songs are relatable, you really understand them and they make you feel and think.
I think that might be the most important attribute of this whole thing.
This is a record with songs that make you feel and think which is important when it comes to the genre and being true to it.
This record has layers you can peel back, surprises around the corners, and a perfect level of intensity and attitude that it can all just rock itself around you and keep you right where it wants to.
These guys also have a bunch of great releases under their belt before this one and it's been a little while since I listened to a record and immediately wanted it on vinyl but this one nailed that feeling for me.
I actually do want this on vinyl right now.
For true classic punk fans out there dive right into this one you certainly won't regret it in terms of releasing a record that's true to the genre I'm giving this a 9 out of 10 but in my heart, I'm giving it a 10 out of 10.