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Album Review – Torchia / They Are Born Under Rules of the Darkness (2026)

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Behold the new opus by this unrelenting Finnish melodeath entity, bringing the band’s storytelling to life through vivid tales of horror, superstition, and doom.

Formed back in 2010 in Tampere, Finland, Torchia have steadily carved out a distinctive identity within the Extreme Metal scene by blending thrash-infused Melodic Death Metal with dark fantasy, gothic horror, and cinematic atmospheres. Produced by Janne Saksa and Villemorte, mixed by Janne Saksa, and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound, with killer artwork, illustrations and layout by Caelan Stokkermans Arts, the incendiary They Are Born Under Rules, the fourth full-length opus in their career, represents a defining chapter in the artistic journey by frontman Nox, guitarists Villemorte and Henri von Hardy, bassist Vulkan, and drummer Vincent Oscar Mill. Set against a bleak, 19th century-inspired gothic backdrop, the album brings Torchia’s storytelling to life through vivid tales of horror, superstition, and doom, uniting narrative depth with relentless musical force.​

The opening song Nekromanteion is simply cinematic and grim from the very first second, with Nox’s deep, dark vocals walking hand in hand with their striking guitar lines by Villemorte and Henri, kicking off the album with tons of sulfur, insanity and Black and Death Metal energy. The band continues their infernal path with Hellmouth, blending the demented sounds of modern heavy music with old school symphonic and dark elements, resulting in a truly headbanging feast; and Vincent ignites the band’s ruthless engine in Into Hell, pounding his drums while the guitars by Villemorte and Henri exhale rage and fury in another strong contender for their live performances. Guess what? They remain in hell for the also hard hitting melodeath tune Hellstorm, again presenting the demonic vociferations by Nox for our total delight while also displaying some wicked guitar solos.

After such a high level of fire and sulfur, the band will crush our damned skulls with the infuriated Die Amour, perfect for breaking our necks headbanging to the massive beats by Vincent, followed by The Tiamat Machine, carrying a beautiful name for an epic, thrilling creation by those uncanny metallers, offering a clash of distinct sounds that will bring excitement and fear to our hearts, all boosted by the insane roars by Nox and all background cinematic sounds. The band then lets their Thrash Metal vein arise in Black Cat, adding speed and rebelliousness to their core Melodic Death Metal sounds while the guitar work by the band’s axe duo is once again fantastic; and Vulkan and Vincent will shake the foundations of the earth with their thunderous kitchen in Stygian Waters, keeping the album as powerful and aggressive as possible. Lastly, they slow things down a bit while keeping the atmosphere as dense and epic in Sanguine Masquerade, sounding like a dark and devilish waltz led by the grim vociferations by Nox.

“With this record, we wanted to push our sound further into darker and more cinematic territory without losing the immediacy and energy that defined our earlier work,” commented the band, expanding on the album’s direction, and if you’re a fan of the music by renowned acts the likes of Behemoth, Cradle of Filth, and Children of Bodom, you should definitely check what Torchia are up to on Facebook and on Instagram, bang your head to their caustic creations on Spotify, and of course purchase They Are Born Under Rules of the Darkness from BandCamp or from Rockshots Records as a CD or an LP. We’re living truly dark times, and although the music from Torchia’s new album is inspired by the 19th century, it’s beyond perfect for the chaotic state of our world.

Best moments of the album: Into Hell, The Tiamat Machine and Stygian Waters.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2026 Rockshots Records

Track listing
1. Nekromanteion 4:23
2. Hellmouth 4:08
3. Into Hell 3:38
4. Hellstorm 3:55
5. Die Amour 4:12
6. The Tiamat Machine 5:39
7. Black Cat 3:19
8. Stygian Waters 4:05
9. Sanguine Masquerade 4:46

Band members
Nox – vocals
Villemorte – lead guitars, vocals
Henri von Hardy – guitars
Vulkan – bass, backing vocals
Vincent Oscar Mill – drums

Album Review – A Taste Of Fear / God’s Design (2017)

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An amazing display of dexterity, professionalism and devotion to Thrash and Death Metal by a promising Italian quartet, representing to perfection what the band is all about.

Musically inspired by old school Thrash and Death Metal bands such as Testament, Kreator, Death and Obituary, just to mention some of them, while the lyrics are essentially based on moods, feelings, sensations and on social injustices, God’s Design, the brand new album by Italian Technical Thrash/Death Metal act A Taste Of Fear, is not only a top-notch high-speed feast of metallic and belligerent sounds, but it also represents to perfection what this Rome-based four-piece band is all about and their goals in the world of extreme music.

A Taste Of Fear came alive in 2014 thanks to bassist Michele Attolino (Avanguard, Ruinthrone, Blooddawn) and his deep passion for Thrash and Death Metal, being joined at later stages of the band by the versatile vocalist Stefano Sciamanna (Endaemona), the unstoppable drummer Flavio Castagnoli (Exhume to Consume, Forgotten Lore), and finally the experienced guitarist Emiliano Pacioni (Lunarsea, Catales). After the lineup reached its final shape and form, it was time for those four Italian metallers to begin crushing with their unrelenting music, culminating with the release of God’s Design now in 2017, an album that will definitely leave some good scars on you due to its high level of intricacy, progressiveness and, above all, sheer aggression.

Michele kicks off the title-track God’s Design in an eerie way with his mesmerizing bass, being smoothly joined by the other band members, always sounding very technical and fresh in a solid hybrid of Thrash and Death Metal with hints of Black Metal, with Stefano switching his gentle clean vocals to an even more demonic version of Mille Petrozza. Following that excellent start we have Into Hell, with no slow or atmospheric intros, but only sheer Death Metal bursting with dexterity and stamina where Flavio seems to be in ecstasy while smashing his drums. Moreover, the great string duo comprised of Emiliano and Michele delivers cutting riffs and metallic low-tuned sounds respectively, making the whole song even more impactful.

A calm and serene intro once again explodes into brutal devastation in Out Of Place, a fast-paced creation by the quartet with highlights to the amazing synchronicity between Flavio’s beats and Emiliano’s riffage, not to mention its Flamenco-inspired short break; whereas A Feared Secret brings the most electrifying elements found in Thrash and Death Metal, with Stefano’s harsh gnarls getting more piercing and ferocious. In other words, this is a full-bodied hymn perfect for headbanging or slamming into the pit with its almost 8 minutes of a very intricate and technical sonic attack, all enhanced by an amazing guitar solo by Emiliano. And Make Suffer, a high-octane chant led by the demented growls by Stefano and the furious drumming by Flavio, feels like a kick-ass fusion of Kreator and Carcass. Simply sing its chorus along with the band and crush your skull into the circle pit to this awesome composition, and don’t forget to thoroughly enjoy the song’s superb bass solo.

In Ripped Soul’s Gift, the heavy, headbanging riffs by Emiliano impregnate the air, building a truly demonic ambience for Stefano’s hellish screams in this nonstop sonic demolition tailored for fans of gory and menacing Death Metal, followed by The Passage, which sounds considerably thrashier than its predecessor (in special the frantic drumming by Flavio). This is a good sample of what we can call Blackened Thrash Metal due to its darker and more aggressive sounds, with Emiliano and Michele pounding their strings ferociously from start to finish, emanating keen, demonic sounds to pulverize our ears. And last but not least we have A Taste Of Fear, the song that carries the band’s name, a 7-minute Death Metal onslaught full of demonic guitar lines, thunderous bass and drums and the always deranged growling by Stefano, also showcasing hints of progressiveness to enhance its taste. Moreover, every single second of this tune bursts with anger, hatred and obviously fear, ending with another sensational guitar solo by Emiliano.

If you want to know more about A Taste Of Fear, go check what they’re up to on Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud, and grab your copy of God’s Design (available for a full listen on Spotify) at their own BandCamp page, at the Time to Kill Records’ Big Cartel, at Qobuz or on Amazon. God’s Design might not be the revolution in heavy music, and I truly believe that was never the band’s intention with it, but it’s indeed an amazing display of dexterity, professionalism and devotion to Thrash and Death Metal by this Italian quartet, and let’s hope the band releases several albums in the future with the same punch and finesse as their debut endeavor.

Best moments of the album: Into Hell, A Feared Secret and Make Suffer.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Time To Kill Records

Track listing
1. God’s Design 6:08
2. Into Hell 4:04
3. Out Of Place 5:24
4. A Feared Secret 7:48
5. Make Suffer 5:18
6. Ripped Soul’s Gift 4:55
7. The Passage 5:56
8. A Taste Of Fear 7:27

Band members
Stefano Sciamanna – vocals
Emiliano Pacioni – guitars
Michele Attolino – bass
Flavio Castagnoli – drums