Short Reviews [Tormenta - 2009 - "Tormenta"]

Hailing from Canada, TORMENTA is a trio composed of Esteban Rodiere, Jeff Grimal (both of whom play six-stringed electric guitars) and Vincent Beysselance on drums, the mark of the beast the men have inserted in their website’s URL suggesting they’re youngsters, at least mentally. Their self-titled debut EP consists of four instrumentals, the first three of which are marked by if not stamped with Rush’s influences. (Only at the very end of the third track, Fievree Et Calcus Morbides, the trio changes the style, by entering the domain of what can by and large be labeled as extreme Prog-Metal, e.g. anything else by Atheist, “The Astral Sleep” by Tiamat, and so on). Upon first spin the music may come across as being a bit more technically advanced than their famous compatriots’ one, but is only heavier than that in fact, revealing plenty of effective guitar riffs, yet somewhat lacking in solos, none of those being notable for particular virtuosity – which isn’t a flaw to my mind, though. In all, each of the three has its own merits, but the recording’s closing piece, Le Retour de la Novee, is an absolute winner. Featuring what sounds not unlike a cello, it brings to mind now early Anekdoten, now (within harsher, purely prog-metal arrangements) anything else. Overall, Tormenta is a promising band. Only it should keep closer to the direction it has set up on the last-named track and also hire a cellist and a bass player, at least the latter, as the music presented on this CD is, so to speak, wanting in more low frequencies.

VM=Vitaly Menshikov: October 15, 2009