Review of Torche - Meanderthal

The strangeness that is Torche has returned to my speakers once again and I could not be happier. This album is in and out like the wind with thirteen songs in thirty-six minutes. They have often been described as a stoner-metal equivalent to The Foo Fighters and I don’t think that’s an off base comparison to be honest. Admission of guilt, I actually like The Foo Fighters.

Combine catchy melodies with a nice bottom heavy production and the vocals of Steve Brooks, who reminds me of Bruce Falkinburg of The Hidden Hand, with a twinge of Danko Jones and you get a deadly combination. This is heavy and aggressive while also being rather friendly to the ears. This is a hard album for me to quantify, especially since whenever I try to write about it the end comes way too fast. In fact the song Healer might be a high point because it might be as close as music gets to a metal Rocket from the Crypt.

It’s not the most crushing album by any stretch but it’s a damned fine rock ‘n’ roll album for those who still appreciate this art form. However while the album is rather fast on the whole they like to slow it down near the end. The last two songs are all rather long for Torche and rather heavy. The high point for me is probably the song “Fat Waves”, not just because it rocks mightily, but also because it actually has some length to it. I love a good rocker but at the same time it’s a little unsatisfying when said rocker borders on grind.