A car cuts me off and forces me to slam on my brakes, but I don't notice. Hands and feet are a blur, playing along to the first track on Torn In Two's debut album, Soli Deo Gloria. As far as openers go, this album has more than a solid one. Calling to mind the epic heaviness and stop/start lurching of Meshuggah, Up until this point, they've got themselves a new fan. I change freeways. The next track isn't, well, nearly as good. We've gone from solid album opener to cliche hardcore songwriting in the span of a single track change. The same goes for the next track. And it's not even in the vein of Meshuggah any longer. It's just bland, stereotypical hardcore. And so the album continues. Remarkably inconsistent and extremely unsatisfying. There are wonderful ideas on this disc -- stuff that no one else does. And then there are some of the most cliche moments you have ever heard on a hardcore album. Overall, very disappointing, mainly because there is so much promise on this album, and it seems to be wasted for the most part.
Editors' ratings - Doug 2.5/5, Jason 2/5
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Nate BaileyTorn in Two is from La Habra, CA. They bring metal to the Facedown roster. Wow. This is some serious stuff. Torn in Two play what I unofficially call New Wave Metal. It's metal, but new. There are two vocalists, the sum total of which equals a great package deal you can't help but enjoy (one of the vocalists reminds me of Vengeance Rising vocalist, Roger Martinez). The music isn't stagnant but…Similar sounding releases
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