"Torture Knows No Boundary" (1986) Album Description:
Los Angeles, December 1986: the Strip is still selling hairspray dreams, but the real action is lower, louder, cheaper, and meaner. I remember that Metal Blade logo feeling less like a brand and more like a warning label. Heretic drop a five-track 12-inch (MBR 1080 / 72170-1) and it does not “introduce” itself. It kicks the door, checks the room, and starts swinging. Bill Metoyer handles the engineering/production bite, Dennis O’Hara co-produces while holding the bassline steady, and the whole thing stays dry on purpose. No fog. No velvet. Just corners.
1986: everybody sped up, then pretended they did not
That year the music got faster and the adults got louder about it. The PMRC scolding was in the air like stale cigarette smoke, and the best bands treated it like free advertising. You could feel the competition too: not “chart” competition, real competition. Who hits harder. Who tightens the riff. Who makes the room go quiet for half a second before it explodes.
Heretic do not chase the absolute edge of the blade here. They keep their posture. It is power metal discipline with a thrash tic in the jaw. The kind of control that makes the impact feel nastier, not safer.
Where it sits: not Slayer, not sunshine
The same year gave me “Master of Puppets” and “Reign in Blood” and “Peace Sells...” and “Darkness Descends” rattling around in my head like loose screws. Heretic are not trying to out-murder anybody. They go for that American power/thrash lane where the riffs stand up straight, then lunge. If you like your speed with shoulders, you are in the right alley.
The sound: tight, sharp, and allergic to reverb
The guitars do not “wash.” They jab. Short bursts. Serrated edges. The drums hit clean instead of booming, and that choice matters: this is attack music, not atmosphere. Julian Mendez sings high and wired, with a little ragged panic at the edges. It is not the later Mike Howe command-voice; it is more like a warning siren that decided to join the band.
Metoyer’s production/engineering keeps the riffs readable without sanding them down. You can follow the blade all the way through the swing. It stays compact, it stays physical, and it never turns into mush.
Credits that actually matter (and one that makes me grin)
The practical crew is the right kind of obsessive: artwork credited to Darrell Evers, graphic design by Ralph Bland, Jr., and a small army of photographers (Dave Plastik, Dion Dubois, John Bruno, Nigel Skeet, John Vincenti) making sure the band look like they belong to the noise they are making.
Then there is the classy little collision: Metal Archives notes the cover portrait is credited to Leon Golub, courtesy of Barbara Gladstone Gallery. Fine art meets cheap paper. If that does not sound like 1986 metal culture, nothing does.
The five tracks (and the one people keep trying to glue on)
Here is the part where I get mildly irritated, because this mistake refuses to die: “Impulse” is not on this EP. “Impulse” shows up on the 1986 “Metal Massacre VII” compilation, and it features a different vocalist (Mike Torres). Different moment, different bite.
On the EP, the sequence is lean and deliberate. Side A opens with a curveball cover, then the originals tighten the screws:
- "Riding with the Angels" (Russ Ballard cover)
- "Blood Will Tell"
- "Portrait of Faith"
- "Whitechapel"
- "Torture Knows No Boundary" (instrumental)
And yes, it comes with a lyric insert. Cheap paper, fresh ink, the kind of thing you unfolded too many times until the creases gave up. That little physical ritual is part of the record. Always was.
Lineup heat: a good EP, a short fuse
This EP captures the band in that specific lineup snap: Julian Mendez on vocals; Brian Korban and Bobby Marquez on guitars; Dennis O’Hara on bass; Rick Merrick on drums. It is a hungry configuration, and hunger does not always stay polite. Not long after this phase, the microphone changes hands again and the band’s trajectory shifts toward “Breaking Point” (1988). Same name on the sleeve, different temperature in the room.
No scandal. Just the usual metal nonsense.
There is no courtroom fairy tale here, no “banned” bedtime story. The real chaos is smaller and more embarrassing: people mislabel it as an LP, misplace songs, and confidently swear they hear the wrong singer. Metal history is full of loud experts who do not own the record. Shocking, I know.
I still like this EP because it does not beg. It does not posture. It shows up, cuts clean, and leaves you holding the silence for a second after the last note—like you just watched something sharp happen in a small room.
References
- Vinyl-Records.nl: "Torture Knows No Boundary" — high-resolution cover, sleeve and label photos
- Metal Archives: "Torture Knows No Boundary" — release data, tracklist, credits
- Metal Archives: Heretic — formation year and the "Impulse" note
- The Corroseum: Metal Blade discography — MBR 1080 / 72170 entry
- The Corroseum: "Metal Massacre VII" (1986) — "Impulse" listing/context
