Listening to Restarter right now as I’m writing this I find that it’s not only almost a perfect album (is there such a thing as a perfect album?) but it sounds better the more I listen to it. I find that very few bands can straddle the line between pushing the sonic boundaries of instrumental layering and keep true to a melodic songcraft that creates engaging cross generational music. They find a way to make catchy into art, to make noise into color, to leave you wanting more but satisfied at the same time. In a way this style has been called post-rock or post-metal but Torche have seemed to find a way to bring it back from the “post” tag and create beautiful alternative metal pop songs.
They love to play huge Deftones style head banging rhythms while layering in feedback, noise and all around experimental guitar fuckery like Sonic Youth emulating Saint Vitus. Torche has a very unique blend of styles with crushingly heavy noise metal riffs, juxtaposed with ultra melodic vocal melodies - including great harmonies from guitarist/singer Andrew Elstner. The songs I loved immediately, of course, I still thought were amazing, but I find it interesting how some of the less engaging materiel from my earlier review actually won me over in a live setting. Needless to say I was pleased at how tight they sounded, how good guitarist/singer Steve Brook’s vocals were, and how the songs that I reviewed from Restarter had grown on me. Having reviewed Torche’s newest album Restarter (2015) earlier this year, I was very eager to witness the live show, as I had never seen the Florida band play before. Torche at Saint Vitus Bar in Brooklyn (via Frank Huang) The crowd seemed to enjoy them and responded well to their boogie rock riff mazes, which were executed with tightness and skill. Songwriting can develop naturally if you start from the right core. They played with energy and emotion, however, and I feel that is the most important thing. I enjoyed their set, though I must say that the riffs and vocals weren’t especially memorable. They played a much more traditional stoner rock, classic rock and thrash influenced sound compared to the co-headliners. Opening up the show was a side project of Torche’s drummer Richard Smith called House of Lightning, which also features bassist Eric Hernandez (Wrong, Kylesa, Capsule) and guitarist/vocalist Henry Wilson (Floor, Dove). Playing at Chop Suey in Seattle, this was the second stop on the tour and I highly suggest you go when they assault your town.
What a strange tour combination with modern space sludge pop titans Torche and legendary avant noise punk assassins Melt Banana. House of Lightning and Torche pictures by Immortal Affliction Photography, Melt Banana pictures by John Kennedy
0 kommentar(er)
