Review - The Only Good Tory

This is a free UK powerviolence comp that I came across on a blog called No Clean Singing  - check it out, it's pretty awesome.

The Only Good Tory was released a little while ago by the aforementioned blog, and it's pretty damn good.There isn't a whole lot new about the bands on here musically - basically, it sounds like you'd expect a powerviolence compilation to sound. I'm not going to review every song on there as, let's face it, that would bore the tits off all concerned, so I'll just tell you what I thought of the tracks that particularly caught my ear. There are also a couple of tracks on there from bands I've reviewed on here - look out for them.

Standout tracks:

Dun Fother by Ablach

This is some really, really nice shit - probably as noisy and lo-fi as a recording can be without being completely unintelligible, but dammit, it works. Pure, exhilarating low-budget PV noisefuckery.


Lost by Death Tripper

Very nice - the opposite of the Ablach track, this song is about as professional-sounding as a song can be while still being classifiable as powerviolence. Starts with a truly crushing riff and some excellent screams, then into - hold on, why am I describing this? Imagine a fucking good powerviolence song. That's what it sounds like.

Some Songs by Deathwank

Yes, you read that name right. The name is kind of indicative of the music here - if the Ablach track was as unprofessional as good music can be, then this is as unprofessional as music can be, full stop. Worth listening to for the sheer wtf factor.

Order 66 by Horsebastard

This is just flat-out brutal - it's saying something that it's on a powerviolence compilation, right after a song by titans of the genre Gets Worse, and it still stands out for its ferocity.

Baby Guts by Meatpacker

This is just flat-out awesome. Good old fashioned, no-frills PV.


Napalm by Scumkiller

This one gets a special mention just for the vocals - really abrasive, tonsil-scraping shrieks that sound like a velociraptor giving birth. Excellent.

The Bitter Aftertaste of Exploitation by The Atrocity Exhibit

Nice groove to this one, it keeps the rhythm solid without cutting back on the brutality - also, love the Ballard reference.

Overall, it's a nice collection of songs, though the uniformity of style gets a bit wearing after a bit - I had to take a break about halfway through and listen to some Joan Baez to refresh my ears. It's not that the bands aren't (mostly) good, it's just that forty-odd minutes of powerviolence is a lot to listen to, especially when none of the bands on the comp really do anything new with the style.

Still - I'd definitely recommend this release. You can download it (for free!) here - either download the whole free album or pick and choose from the individual tracks. It's free, so there's no reason not to grab a copy.

Did I mention it's free?

Rating: 7/10