Black Tora – Rise of the Tora (2009)
One of the best kept secrets in Hard Rock is the band Black Tora. This young three-piece from McAllen, Texas was originally signed by KEEL Entertainment under the band’s previous name Warryor.
Paul Shortino’s Music Works label signed the band and released their debut effort Rise of the Tora. Not only did Paul Shortino produce this CD, but he also provides background vocals on the song “Warrior”. He must have seen a lot in this young band, and I completely see why.
This disc sounds like it was made in 1984, not 2009. Black Tora may have a retro sound, but make no mistake about it, they flat out rock. Rise of The Tora is cram packed with old school metal riffs that put a huge smile on this rocker’s face. Razer Dave is one of the most impressive new guitarists I have heard in a while. His style seems to encompass a mixture of influences including Eddie Van Halen and KK Downing. Don’t believe me? Listen to Rise of the Tora! This guy can shred!
A singer can make or break a band, and Black Tora’s singer Chris Daniel gets the job done! He delivers solid vocals and plenty of metal screams to keep this listener interested. Edd “The Animal” provides plenty of thunder to drive these songs home.
This CD starts off with the scorching hot tune “Burn Out”. This high-speed rocker quickly establishes that Black Tora isn’t here to fool around. They are out to rock your race off, and with Rise of the Tora, they do just that. You wont find any wimpy power ballads on this CD. This disc is packed from beginning to end with heavy tunes that will make you throw your horns in the air!
“Heart of Fire” is a monstrous tune that needs to be heard by every metalhead on the planet. Some of the additional highlights on this CD include the songs, “Never Enough” “Wild Child”, and “Warrior”. If you are a fan of classic hard rock and metal, check out Black Tora on myspace and grab Rise of the Tora on iTunes or Amazon.com. You will be glad you did!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Burn Out
- Never Enough
- Criminal
- Wild Child
- Stealing Thunder
- Don’t Drag Me Down
- Born To Rock
- Haywire
- The Slayer
- Hearts on Fire
- Warrior
Black Tora is:
Razor Dave – guitar, vocals
Chris Daniel – vocals, bass
Edd “The Animal” – drums
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these guys are the ligit hard rock i have never banged my head so hard live at a bar gig. their music gives me Adrenaline in my veins BLACK TORA!!!!!!
This is the best band you haven’t heard yet.
Do yourself a favor and check them out.
We saw you guys in Holton Kansas on 6-4-2010. What a surprise. Me and my girl both believe you guys were very talented and are going places!
Rob my friend, you have done it again! I went to amazon and listened to the samples. This band absolutely kills. to me, the style of the record, from the song writing to the production of the drums and guitars most closely resembles British Steel era Priest. I can assure you that I’ll be buying this as soon as I get home from work tonight, not to mention blasting the friggin’ hell out of it all weekend.