Review: Torche - Restarter
By Sam Carroll, Contributor
[Relapse; 2015]
Rating: 7/10
Key Tracks: “Annihilation Affair,” “Undone,” “Restarter”
Pop music can draw different responses from people. Some say it’s really good, others say it’s a corporate cash-in by the music industry or it isn’t as good as it used to be. Regardless of how mundane pop may be to some, it takes some nerve to turn whatever the genre’s latest manifestation is on its head. One example that comes to mind is a band called Torche.
Torche can be best described as a sludge-metal band playing pop. The Florida-based group incorporates upbeat melodies blaring from walls of thick, droning fuzz and detuned guitars. Restarter continues to show the quartet’s unique sound, but has a more metal-influenced mix than longtime fans are used to.
The opening track, “Annihilation Affair,” booms to life with throbbing guitars throwing sledgehammers through the listener’s eardrums. Deep percussion as loud as cannon artillery delivers an off-tempo rhythm guiding a snarling bass line. Frontman Steve Brooks’ lyrical themes have grown darker: “Again / You wasted them / Terror / Wake up / Until the end.” Brooks’ voice is deeper and less nasally than it was on 2012’s Harmonicraft and 2008’s Meanderthal, making the lyrics more likely to be understood and adding clarity to his vocal performance.
“Undone” is only one minute and 40 seconds long, but that doesn’t prevent the band from showing its aggression. The song’s style displays influence from sludge-metal and White Zombie’s flavor of industrial.
The record closes with the title track, a nine-minute barrage of chunky power chords and booming drum work. “Restarter” stands out as the collection’s most minimalistic and instrumental jam. There is no noticeable change in the main rhythm of the song, but layers of surf-style guitar fill the background to provide a more open atmosphere. What sounds like “our leaders don’t know our sanction” is the only lyric repeated throughout. The track ends with the audio panning and swirling as the guitars scream in the background.
Production wise, Restarter sounds like a Torche album. It was recorded at a high volume with heavy distortion, but its loudness isn’t overbearing, unlike the efforts of some other groups. The mix is bass-heavy, part of which comes from the extent to which the guitars are drop tuned. This may be an issue for some listeners who crank the volume on the LP; it will blow out speakers. The vocals, although well produced, get lost in the mix at times when the band jams out. Fortunately, the flaws don’t take away from the listening experience.
Restarter does show Torche’s distinct style, but not to the same extent as Meanderthal and Harmonicraft. Those previous two albums highlighted the unit’s ability to blend its pop and metal sensibilities into a new style, but the new work features more sludge elements than before. Veteran fans may shy away from this release because it doesn’t have the same quirky sound. Therefore, it may serve best as a record for people who are looking to just get into Torche.
