TotorRo - TotorRo EP
Self-released
Instrumental Metal/Rock
4 songs (31:50)
Release year: 2008
TotorRo
Reviewed by Khelek
Archive review

Instrumental metal is not usually one of my favorite genres, but France's TotorRo caught my attention with this excellent EP. These guys really know how to create some great soundscapes, taking influence from modern experimental, sludge, and instrumental metal bands. This is a self-released EP and the guys did a pretty good job on it. The production can get a little rough at times, but overall it has a nice, clean sound to it. This music is often very guitar driven, with layers of riffs and melodic leads. However, the bass and drums also play an important part in the softer, more low-tempo areas of the compositions. This EP contains 4 tracks, and alternates between shorter and longer songs.

1984 starts things off with soft electric guitar and calm bass, which picks up in tempo as the song continues, with heavy riffs crashing in like a tidal wave. This is a relaxing yet energetic song and it shows what kind of emotion and atmosphere the band can conjure up with their instruments. My Bob's Blue Eyes is probably my favorite track, an epic composition at over ten minutes. The sounds of melancholy, reverbed guitar start things off, conjuring an atmosphere of cold and calm. The drums slowly step in as the clean electric guitar notes drift around in space. The pace slowly picks up from here, keeping the listener interested and not plodding along as some instrumental bands can tend to do. When the heavier riffs come in it breaks the small amount of tension built up, yet keeps the same type of melancholy feeling of the song. This song reminds me of other bands in the genre, especially Pelican. I won't describe the crescendo of this song, but it is quite excellent with an interesting guitar solo. Isang Tao's first riff surprisingly reminds me of the opening riff from Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name Of. This is a much faster, heavier song than the previous ones with quick riffs and steady, fast drumming. TotorRo's Rising finishes the album off, another epic-length track that has a similar melancholy feeling as Bob's Blue Eyes, but is a lot more repetitive and tends to wander around more in the middle of the song, so it becomes more of a song to have on in the background.

If you enjoy instrumental metal in the vein of Pelican, or soundscapes from bands like Giant Squid and Jesu, you may find yourself really enjoying what this young band has created. I definitely recommend checking this EP out. It can be listened to and downloaded for free on the band's Bandcamp page, or you can choose to give them some money for it, which they say will go towards recording a full-length release.


Band's MySpace
Bandcamp Page
Killing Songs :
1984, My Bob's Blue Eyes
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