Album Review: Tornado – Commitment To Excellence (Extreme Metal Music)

Formed in 2010 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tornado quickly released their Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy/Pain) produced debut album ‘Amsterdamn, Hellsinki’. 2016 saw the release of the sophomore album ‘Black President’ as well as the video for the anti-bullying song ‘David and Goliath’, which caught the attention of several anti-bullying agencies, one of which used singer Superstar Joey Severance in a country wide advertising campaign.

Their new album ‘Commitment to Excellence’ is set to be released on August 31, 2018 via Extreme Metal Music. This third full length features a guest line up that includes Nile’s Karl Sanders, Immolation‘s Ross Dolan and Pro-Pain’s Adam Phillips as well as Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth).

Opener, A Minute of Nothing is an apt name as it is a minute of confusion that leaves you thinking “what?”. Thankfully things really get going with White Horse of the Apocalypse, a track that features Karl Sanders of Nile and has guest vocals from Niko Kalliojärvi (ex-Amoral). Here the thrash stylings of Tornado really comes out in force. The riffing is on another level but the punkish vocals seem misplaced as they have a sharpness to them that doesn’t quite fit with the harsher rhythm.

Once you adapt to the style though, things really start to sound great. Global Pandemic is such a fiery number with vocals spat out with real feeling, Spirit and Opportunity brings fantastic guest vocals from Ross Dolan of Immolation as well as a thrilling thrash beat and Endless Forms of Torment drops deep bass and a killer solo from Adam Phillips of Pro-Pain.

Breaking things up, Through Difficulties to Victory is a couple of minutes of whining instrumental guitars before Supremacy and Chaos Among the Ruins pull no punches with pure unadulterated thrash metal.

A decent cover of S.O.D.’s United Forces is a welcome inclusion before At the Chapel of Rest wrap things up adding a wicked guitar solo from Glen Drover (ex Megadeth). As thrash as they come, don’t let that put you off though as Tornado’s Commitment to Excellence is incredibly appealing.

Tornado – Commitment to Excellence Full Track Listing:

1. A Minute of Nothing
2. White Horse of the Apocalypse
3. Global Pandemic
4. Spirit and Opportunity
5. The Flight of Yuri Gagarin
6. Endless Forms of Torment
7. Through Difficulties to Victory
8. Supremacy
9. Chaos Among the Ruins
10. United Forces (S.O.D. Cover)
11. At the Chapel of Rest

You can order the album now via Extreme Metal Music here. Find out more about Tornado via their Facebook Page, Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.