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An Album from The Tortured Gives Off A Heavy Punk Tendency And Plenty of Truth

Writer: R.A.G.
R.A.G.
4 hours ago
4 min read

An album release from The Tortured delivers a mass amount of melodic punk rock that gives off such an intense and raw energy at times that it feels like the whole thing was recorded live, on the floor. It's almost like these guys were feeding off of each other's energies the entire time, and that's what gives the record an almost live performance aesthetic.


These are very driving but again, melodically thriving punk rock songs that tell stories, send messages, and feel quite anthemic at times.


The record is called Songs for the Lost Child, and it doesn't waste a lot of time giving you some of that almost vintage punk rock approach with its first track "Lie Awake".


The song comes right in with a great bass guitar tone and riff that bursts into layers of guitars and boisterous, robust vocals that come through with a fist-in-the-air, sing-along style chorus.


Growing up, I listened to plenty of punk rock, and I still do. This record makes me think of very early 90s East Coast-style punk rock. It's not just about the songwriting, crew vocals, or energy. It's also about the tones of those instruments.


There is this blend of a slightly lo-fi aesthetic that you would get from that time in punk rock. Well, you would get that before that time as well, but during the very early 90s or even late '80s, punk had a particular tone to it.


This had a lot to do with the guitars and the bass guitar tone, and that aesthetic and feel are completely nailed throughout this record.


Now, this track is a great way to open up the record because it's going to give you some of the great staples the rest of the release boasts; however, there are plenty of surprises, as it branches out into different areas of punk and rock throughout its course.


"You Don't Know" kicks off with an amazingly addictive riff that sounds like it's something out of an Iron Maiden track, but of course, it's leaning into that pop-punk realm and does it well.


You get plenty more crew vocals with layers of intense performances throughout, also giving really addictive melodies and hooks left and right.


Once you get halfway through the record, you realize that this is an actual blend of different styles, eras, and approaches of punk rock. You have the vintage, old-school, classic style punk, the pop-punk, the thrashy punk, hints of street and skate punk exist in there as well, but all in all the whole record comes through with a fierce overtone.


Even so, a lot of that pop underbelly is still very prevalent throughout the record.


Certain tracks come through a lot heavier than others. For example, "So Low" is harder, with a bit of a heavier riff, a deeper pocket in terms of the drumming and rhythm, and a super sonically invasive guitar tone that just cuts through everything.


Even if I'm wrong about how they recorded some of this record, thinking that they recorded a lot of it live, listening to this album makes you want to go see them perform live.


It's all about how they were able to capture that crazy energy on record so well. This is a staple of punk music in general. Being able to capture a certain kind of emotion and energy on record is really important. These guys completely nailed it from start to finish.


The songs can get personal, giving you relatable topics, and even some of those lyrics are kind of classic in terms of having this sort of youthful cry-out.


Listening to this album from start to finish is an absolute must. As I mentioned earlier, there are loads of surprises around its corners, and the band goes in different directions.


One of my favorite tracks on the entire thing is one called "Ballad of a Broken Dream", which really hit home for me. This is a completely different feeling song. It's got a heavier emotional pull. It's such an authentic feeling and you know it came from a real place.


It's not a punk song, per se. It's different. It's got an alternative rock sort of vibe, a little bit of a Marilyn Manson vocalsStyle mixed with some of the punk attitude and approach, and it really comes through differently.


This is what I mean by listening to the entire album. You don't exactly know what you're going to get. By the time you get halfway through it, you almost begin to expect the unexpected, to an extent.


This is part of the brilliance of a record like this one. It holds very little back and is not built with walls around it.


This is an example of a heavy rock and punk record that at times can feel theatrical, intense, hard-hitting, or even emotional. A lot is going on throughout this release, and if you listen to it all the way through, in one shot, you'll get the full experience.


This is a record with layers. There's much more than What's just on the surface. 


I feel like this is one of the more powerful releases from a band that's been around for more than a decade. They have already honed in on their sound and approach. This is more about putting out a record with purpose. It has meaning, and each song stands on its own two feet very well as a single, but the full album experience is something pretty special.


This is the kind of record that feels almost like reading a book or watching a movie. What I mean is, you don't skip around chapters in a book. I wouldn't skip songs on this record either.


This is for anyone who loves real punk, heavy, or even theatrical-feeling rock, and has a lot of ground covered throughout this outstanding release.


So, take a deep dive into this album now, and see how it affects you.


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