Torri/Self Titled/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Torii  are  a  solo  project  from  Arkansas  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a mixture  of  post  black,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  and  self  titled  2021  album.

  Atmospheric  sounding  synths  and  dark  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  the  heaviness  of  sludge  and  doom  metal.  Vocals  are  mostly  black  metal  screams  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Acoustic  guitars  and  stringed  instruments  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  while  some  of  the  riffing  also  shows  an  influence  of  post  metal.  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  as  well  as a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  being  instrumentals,  spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  music  sticks  to  either  a  slow  or  mid  tempo  musical  direction  and  synths  also  make  a  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks. 

  On  this  recording  Torii  takes  the  atmospheric  style  of  post  black  metal  and  mixes  it  with  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  to  create  a  very  dark  sounding  album.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  apocalyptic  and  mythological  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Torii  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Synthetic  Dust"  "Grey  Expanse"  and  "Torii".  8  out  of  10.

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Torii Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new
album?

Bill: We are eagerly waiting for everyone to hear what we have been working on for the last two years!
Other than that we have started working on our next album over the summer. It is going to be a cover
album, which will change things up a bit for us.

2.You have a new album coming out in June, how would you describe the musical sound that is
presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

Bill: This album I really tried to slow things down. I have always listened to a lot of funeral doom and stoner doom, and I made an conscious effort to implement these influences. I would describe our sound as death/doom with some post metal mixed in, but I have noticed that listeners are really picking up on the black and death metal aspects of our music.

3.Your lyrics cover Conspiracy, Fantasy and Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

Bill:  I have always been interested in fantasy and mythology.  Perhaps I am dissatisfied with the world asas we know it, so I like to imagine what the world was like during ancient times.

4.Your album artwork has a couple of followers of Cadmus being devoured by a dragon, can you tell us alittle bit more about why you picked this artwork for the new album?

Bill: I saw this painting when I was much younger and it has always stuck with me. The life of Cadmus was an inspiration for the lyrics on the title track, and some of the other tracks, although not quite so directly. A "Cadmean victory" is to win the battle but lose the war. Cadmus's life was quite successful, but he was cursed by the gods, and tragedies followed him and his family. His story of futility relates to alot of the sounds and themes that Torii explores.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name Torii?

Bill: I would prefer to keep that private. Sorry.

6.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, do you prefer working as a duo?

Bill: We have talked about getting a proper band together and playing shows. However, we both have
other careers, so it works for us now. I enjoy the process of composing and self-editing all of the music,and Eric likes to tie in his stories and lyrics.

7.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?

Bill: We have never played live but hopefully we can in the future. Although our music is quite morose at times, we can still bring some energy that I think would translate well in a live setting.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Bill: We are looking, but we haven't received much interest. Since we have other careers, this is fine for us.  However, if getting signed means more people can listen to our music, then we need to do everything we can to make that happen.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black, doom and death
metal?

Bill: A lot of our fans are from European countries, which is great! We have heard good things from
reviewers and fans from England, Italy, Germany, Norway, and I'm sure there is more.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Bill: The second track on our upcoming album,  "Theory of Existence", was a bit of an adventure into
stoner metal for us. It is not as melodic as most of our other stuff, but it is a blast to play. So, you may
hear some more material like that in the future.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and
also what are you listening to nowadays?

Bill:  I would say Ruins of Beverast, Esoteric, OM, and Swallow the Sun have probably
had some influence on our new stuff. They are all doom bands from various sub-genres, but most of
them are on the psychedelic side of things. More recently I have been listening to Cult of Luna, MournfulCongregation, and Summoning.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Bill: I just enjoy composing and creating things. I like creating art and building furniture and cabinets.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Bill: Thanks for your time.

https://torii.bandcamp.com/album/a-judgement-divine

Torii/A Judgement Divine/2018 Full Length Review

  Torii  are  a  duo  form  Arkansas  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black,  post,  sludge,  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2018  album  "A  Judgement  Divine"  which  will  be  released  in  June.

  Heavy  yet  melodic  riffing  starts  off  the  album  while  the  solos  and  leads  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  sludge  and  doom  metal  and  after  awhile  grim  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known.

  At  times  elements  of  post  metal  can  be  heard  in  the  music  while  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  along  with  some  death  metal growls  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  songs  as  well  as  some  tracks  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitar  playing.

  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  while  one  of  the  tracks  is  an  instrumental  and  also  introduces  synths  onto  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction.

  Torii  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  black,  doom,  sludge,  death  and  post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Conspiracy,  Fantasy,  Social  Issues  and  Mythology  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Torii  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  sludge,  doom,  death  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Army  Of  Sand"  and  "A  Judgement  Divine".  8  out  of  10.

torii.bandcamp.com/album/a-judgement-divine