- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Torche
Album: Harmonicraft
Label: Volcom
Playtime: 38:44 min
Genre: Hardcore
URL: http://www.torchemusic.com
Rip date: 2012-04-20
Street date: 2012-04-24
Size: 80.40 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 279 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
"For current fans of ôrock 'n' rollö (whatever the genre moniker even means
now), there is very little to get excited about in terms of big, successful
rock records. Sure, rhe Black KeysÆ latest album cast a wide swath, but
bargain bin post-grunge bands like Shinedown and Nickelback still hold down
regular spots in the Billboard 200. Thank god the first quarter of 2012 has
seen a wealth of unusually substantial indie rock records, like the angular,
emotional Attack on Memory from Cloud Nothings, the thick, punk/metal riffing
of CeremonyÆs Zoo, and of course the snarling, proto-punk/classic rock hybrid
of the MenÆs Open Your Heart.
And for listeners hungry for the soaring guitar pyrotechnics and anthemic
harmonies, Floridian underground metal veterans Torche have returned to the
fold at a time when underground rock 'n' roll seems to be at its most vibrant.
The groupÆs latest album, Harmonicraft, builds off the unexpectedly
accessible, but still sludgy metal of 2010Æs stopgap EP Songs For Singles and
their 2008 breakthrough Meanderthal by not shying away from huge hooks or
day-glo bursts of triumphant guitar riffage. The tuned-down Melvins-like
squall from their earlier records is still present and accounted for, but
Torche have managed to shove their guitar work into unexpected places that
balance limber melodicism with punishing heft.
Couple the groupÆs guitar sound with Steve BrooksÆ booming lead vocals, Rick
SmithÆs virtuoso drum performance, and Jonathan NunezÆ steady hand at bass,
and Harmonicraft feels damn near tangible when its pouring out of speakers at
full blast. The album contains its share of unrelenting, shit-kicking metal
tracks (ôWalk it Off,ö ôIn Piecesö) and shimmering guitar duets that aim for
the stratosphere (ôSnakes Are Charmed,ö ôSky Trailsö) but its best moments
come when both of those sonic approaches confront each other in the same song.
ôLetting Goö is assaulting for sure (especially with SmithÆs sturdy drum march
as the songÆs backbone), but the central guitar lick is subtly dynamic and
empowering. When the first bridge/chorus hits and the guitars rear back to
reveal a bright moment of finger tapping glory (while Brooks howls ôI know
IÆve/been kept here for long/letting goö) itÆs feels appropriately revelatory
and bombastic without sacrificing any metal intensity. ôKicking,ö meanwhile,
is the unquestioned apex of Harmonicraft. The track incorporates all of
TorcheÆs strengths (gleaming, double-helix guitar work, impenetrable walls of
metal riffage, and BrooksÆ thick, melodic yawp) seamlessly into a towering,
2:30 slab of sun kissed heavy metal. The one-two punch of ôLetting Goö (which
only clocks in at 2:03) and ôKickingö showcase what Torche is capable of when
the group doesnÆt limit itself to one phase of their sonic evolution. By
allowing all those styles and nods (the melodies, the metal, the
Malmsteen-like guitar work, the galloping percussion, the Foo Fighters) to
boil down into an intriguing blend of enraptured, heavy, rawk that inspires
reflexive fist-pumping, the men of Torche flirt with the shameless guitar god
idolatry of their revered influences."
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. Letting Go ( 2:03)
02. Kicking ( 2:35)
03. Walk It Off ( 1:25)
04. Reverse Inverted ( 3:50)
05. In Pieces ( 3:09)
06. Snakes Are Charmed ( 3:14)
07. Sky Trials ( 1:18)
08. Roaming ( 3:20)
09. Skin Moth ( 3:18)
10. Kiss Me Dudely ( 1:48)
11. Solitary Traveler ( 2:48)
12. Harmonicraft ( 3:15)
13. Looking On ( 6:41)
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