Some Death Metal releases do have the decency not to be an endless string of tracks played at just 200mph, topped with indecipherable gargles.

 

France's Inner Torture have only has two of five tunes here that significantly liken to that category and also this is before I get to the succulent female lead vocals from Okko Yuka who takes care of of both the clean ones and the growls. Angering along in an old days Sepultura thump, the speeds tempos vary quite generously with even those fast entries slowing down and back up in the progressive structure I personally love.

 

Very tightly performed, with a production pretty close to that of Slayer's 'Seasons in the Abyss', 'Stain' is certainly not that on me this time, despite a few minor sticky intervals. A band I certainly wouldn't mind hearing a full length album from but this is a sharp appetiser in its own right.