One of those albums that fits Load’s usual style, this is a disc of punk-damaged goofy thrash that obviously doesn’t take itself too seriously, and even through the cacophony some element of melody does rear its head through the muck.
The tracks on Torture Footage stick to a rather similar formula that is this disc’s greatest shortcoming. With only two of the tracks clocking in at over three minutes, most consist of a blasting drum and distorted bass rhythm, with abused guitar banging and vocals that, for all their indecipherability, often propel a sense of melody in the songs. The overall sound is a sort of Dead Milkmen meets Lightening Bolt, without specifically sounding like either of the two bands.
Because of their short duration, the tracks never get into a point where repetition becomes a problem. The tracks are quick to adapt their structure and pacing and bounce back and forth between a couple similar, though different styles in each track. Tracks like “Air and Water” and “Priscilla’s Bleach Bath” stick to this basic noisy formula with some concessions to melody from the vocals. However, “I Am Ze Doctor” and “Trick Boots” are a bit less dense and more mellow than the others, even though I’m speaking only in relative terms. Any other band this would be a sloppy mess, but here, this is a bit of opium during the meth binge.
Perhaps it’s just a similar feeling to a Rorshach test, but some things begin to arise from the chaos, such as the rockabilly elements of “Hell is Ahead” and “Mini Harpyes” that are there amongst the noise, or at least that’s what I hear. The former’s sound, mixed with the dual male and female vocals bring it more to a bizarre world where the B-52’s are doing Napalm Death covers.
As I’ve alluded to, the biggest problem with this album are that, for all intents and purposes, it could be a single 30 minute track, because there is just such an element of sameness from track to track. It’s not an unheard of problem, and personally, I have problems sitting through full albums from the Ramones and early Swans for the same reasons. Picking a track or two here and there makes for better listening experience rather than trying to sit through the entire album at once, in which ones attention tends to wander. In short bursts, it’s a fun set of chaotic instrument abuse that mixes the noise and melody quite well.
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