“Torture Chamber” is an unreleased hip hop song led by Ambrose. The lyrics focus on a war veteran who sits in a cell waiting to be let free. The song’s protagonist explicitly mentions that they were fighting in the Vietnam War and references various factors of the conflict including the Battle of Khe Sanh and the use of Agent Orange by the United States military. They also allude to how the Vietnam War was the first televised war Americans witnessed, calling it a “brouhaha soap opera.”
Fans have known of it since 2023-06-02 when it was quoted during a jam on “The Grim Reaper.” Following performances of that song also featured the quotes, leading the weirdo swarm to believe that a hip hop album was on the way. When asked about it during an episode of Office Hours Live With Tim Heidecker, Joey said that “Torture Chamber” was from a hip hop album that was “in the pipeline,” which he claimed was “one step too far,” even questioning if fans actually wanted a full rap LP. Stu also mentioned the album during Gizzard’s 2023 Reddit AMA saying that it was never finished but that the material will probably morph into some other project.
While the song was quoted briefly throughout 2024, a longer set of lyrics was set to debut on 2024-05-30 as part of “The Grim Reaper.” When the time came however, the band skipped it. These lyrics appeared days later on 2024-06-03 during the band’s second “Drag Night” performance in Lyon.