Torche - Meanderthal
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Free Music Notes for Meanderthal
Free Music Review: Sludge/Drone-Metal Sophistication Meets Rock Energy
Hit: 5 Stars
The problem with a lot of rock and punk music is that all-too-often there isn't enough backing the standard "catchiness" and energy to make it hold up over repeated listens. And especially for those of us headphone-listeners, such music seems flat and lacking texture.
For sludge/drone/"post"-metal (there's far too many names for this loose confederation of bands), the problem is very much the opposite. For all the carefully-crafted texture, soundscapes and melodies, time/signature changes and complex drum-work there isn't much of the music that is instantly accessible - no melodies that are easy to hum along with, no beats that are easy to tap out - and hence the genre toils in obscurity.
If only there was a band that could combine the strengths of both and hence eliminate their weaknesses... fortunately, TORCHE is to the rescue with their sophomore effort Meanderthal.
Writing almost radio-friendly rock songs and infusing them with the ponderous depth of post-metal and the energy (and brevity) of punk rock, Torche have found a groove that should resonate with a lot of people. This is music that you can play at parties or with a car-full of friends who have never heard of Isis or Pelican or Neurosis (I tried this experiment myself), but also music that you can take home and throw on the home stereo or headphones and also appreciate the details that Torche have ingrained into each one of their songs.
Free Music Review: Just got this record; just saw them live in Cambridge, MA
Hit: 5 Stars
I cant believe how good this band and this album are. I havent even heard any of their other stuff yet, because I'm still letting "Meanderthal" sink in... but I CAN tell you that I saw them live last night and they were as good in person as they were on stage.
What a weirdly likeable band: in them you can hear Helmet, the Foo Fighters, standard metal, standard punk, and none of those things at the same time.
These guys deserve to be huge.
I'm a fan of this record, at the very least, for life.
Free Music Review: A Robotic Empire Rarity.
Hit: 4 Stars
Torche has a musical ability to successfully reach across genres, something of which several of their fellow heavy stoner-rock groups are incapable. I'm not sure whether it's the reverb of Steve Brook's less-chaotic vocals or the sometimes sludge-induced, sometimes-catchy rock guitar riffs, but Torche certainly has found its unique calling in the realm of heavy music. Their ability to attract a gamut of metal-heads as well as individuals who value old Foo Fighters and Melvins albums allows Torche to produce a fusion of rock, stoner sludge and overall heavy music. Formed in 2004, the four men of Miami, Fla. deliver a new catch in their 2008 release Meanderthal. This release manifests that they've mastered their unique sound and they're definitely not fucking around this time.
Immediately we're introduced to the new transition in "Across the Shields" with more poppy, rock guitar work with a splash of familiar down-tempo breaks and catchy sludge riffs. There are no fluffy introductions. It's clear-cut and jumps straight to the chase. "Speed of the Nail" combusts a storm of fast and heavy guitar riffs and doesn't slow down throughout the whole one minute and forty-one seconds. And like they did with their self-titled, Torche proves throughout Meanderthal that they're still spitting out former Floor riffs from which vocalist Brooks and guitarist Juan Montoyo refuse to let go. The fast-then heavily subdued guitar riffs, chaotic yet mastered drum work and Brook's distinctive vocal yell and reverb provide the Torche character that's all so recognizable. Despite the perception of Torche's effortless musicianship, it's not so easy for a reputable band to progress dynamically without destroying its character. I'd hate to see Torche limit themselves by committing to one extremity like doom metal, though. What they have is pure complexity and that shouldn't be broken.
Free Music Review: The Foo Fighters Get Raped by some Doom Metal Cavemen...
Hit: 5 Stars
Torche's follow up to their self-titled debut is a mighty monolith of pop melodies caked over-top a sludge powered rocket engine hurtling itself into the sun. This is some mighty, mighty, mighty awesome music, whatever your musical sensibilities may be, because, as opposed to other "doom metal" acts, the music Torche craft on this album retain a sense of happiness, like a blissful smile painted on the face of a person lost in a pair of headphones. The whole of this album has a huge potential for radio play, it is that accessible. As stated above, it seems similiar to the Foo Fighters at times, just vastly contorted, as if it were being transmitted from some rock radio station in a different dimension where stoners rule as the status quo.
My only complaints about this album are the sometimes haphazard transitions between songs, and it's meager length (I can't get enough, I fear that my copy will be ruined from being overplayed). Besides those relatively small gripes, Meanderthal is an excellent album that anyone who likes rock music at all will be able to appreciate.
Free Music Review: buy it
Hit: 3 Stars
If you liked the other Torche records, you'll like this one. If you've never heard them before, this is a good place to start. The CD packaging is very creative. The artwork is really cool, almost as good as Mighty High...In Drug City.