Metal Debate Album Review - Arcane Magicae (Torchia)

The Great Metal Debate Podcast

Welcome back metalheads to a new episode of The Great Metal Debate podcast! In early 2020, I recorded my first album review for the previous album titled The Coven by this criminally underrated band from Finland - Torchia. 4 years later we are treated to yet another Torchia album titled Arcane Magicae. Torchia is still signed with Rockshot Records and I was unable to find the name of their sound engineer or producer. Whoever it was, they once again did a phenomenal job on the mix and mastering. Every instrument is audible without a single washed out note and is crystal clear. The first song is "There's a Witch Among Us" and it is a bop! A few weeks ago after I first heard it, I was at work with the chorus stuck in my head. One of my co-workers thought I was possessed because I kept screeching "There's A Witch, A Witch Among Us!" Hats off to Edward for improving his vocal range during lockdown. "My Dearest Fiend" is a groovy head bobber with some guitar riffs played by Ville Riitamaa. The particular style reminds me of Torchia's neighbors in Children of Bodom. I can really hear the windy harmonies that closely resemble what Alexi Liaho use to pull off. The influence is definitely there and it's certainly welcomed. "La Magra" is another track to get your foot tapping along to the beat. The drums sound very crisp in this recording just like with every song on the album. Ville Virtanen's precise skills do not go unnoticed. The fact that he keeps it up for the duration of the longer tracks is an impressive feat alone. His tribal moment opens the next song titled "Rat Shaman" which is another all out rager. Eetu Tingander, who is the new bass player, shines in the beginning of the track "Serpent Icon" with his 30 second riff. I love how both the guitarists never seem to drown out his bass with their continuous shredding all over the frets. Henri Heikkinen serves up the chuggy guitar moments that are guaranteed to get your head nodding. "The Messenger" kicks things off with a symphony before smacking you in the face with a tasty guitar solo and then sucking you right back into another calm moment before the vocals come in. This one is slightly unpredictable when it comes to the fluctuation of the myriad of tempo changes. And then we come to "Red Luna Ceremony" which unleashes a very old school, I'm talking Lunar Strain era In Flames sounding dual guitar riff. Don't get me started on the very techy sounding solo that is sure to melt your face off when you hear it. It's almost as if Torchia took my 10/10 rating for The Coven and said "Hold my beer" because they have really dialed this one up to 11. It undoubtedly surpasses the former record especially with a song like "Silver Horns" which is among one of my favorites. Lastly we have the title track "Arcane Magicae". When I say that this band runs like a well oiled machine, the engine purrs. Many people refer to Sweden as the melodic death metal capital of the world but Finland has been making waves in recent years with bands like Mors Principium Est and Omnium Gatherum. Arcane Magicae proves to be a formidable example of the Finnish scene being a sleeping giant. Not to mention, I have always been a fan of stopping the music in the middle of the song to make a specific lyric stand out. In this case we hear Edward shout "To make the world burn!" Which if you ask me is cool as fuck! I knew back 4 years ago that this band was special and deserve every bit of the praise. Finding a band like this in your YouTube recommendations will make you feel like Sisu who just struck a gold mine. However, we still have 10 more months of 2024 so maybe I'll hold back just a hair this time around. My final score for Arcane Magicae is an easy 8.5 out of 10. I strongly recommend checking out this album and you can show your support for them by buying their music and merch from their Bandcamp page.