As a serious contender for "World's Happiest Metal Band," Torche had a lot to live up to after their breakout album Meanderthal, and they've finally delivered their follow-up, entitled Harmonicraft. The title fits perfectly, as Torche has clearly crafted some serious harmonies for this effort.
In a way, it seems like Meanderthal was an album Torche had to make before this release was possible. Meanderthal was an exercise in risk-taking. Their self-titled debut had a lot of buzz, but no one had ever packed so much sunshine into an album so crushingly heavy, and metal fans are not the most open-minded group where sunshine is concerned. The band had to answer a lot of interview questions about their harmonized vocals, their jovial attitude, and whether or not they were actually a metal band (the band has used the term 'thunder pop' to describe themselves). Meanderthal had a lot to prove, but the risk paid off, and now on Harmonicraft, Torche sound like they're comfortable in their role. No, not comfortable. Justified. They know exactly what they're doing and they do it well.
Their overall sound remains the driving, bass-heavy monolith it always has been, but refined to a new level. The Songs for Singles EP seems to have given them extra discipline to craft tighter, more urgent songs than on previous releases, and their rhythms have more variation, from all-out, plowing speed, to swaying, hands-in-the-air grooves, to plodding, headbanging grind. Above all these crushing sounds float the sometimes harmonized, nearly celebratory vocals, at times reminiscent of some kind of ecstatic ritual.
In the end, all of the elements that drew people to Meanderthal are present here, and used with great skill to craft an excellent album of blissed-out heaviness. Harmonicraft will no doubt be the soundtrack to the impending summer for many happy listeners.
Also: If you ever have the opportunity to see Torche live, don't miss out. I had the chance to see them a year or so ago in a small club, and they were fantastic. Bright white stage lights illuminated the show, so the whole experience was made up of flashes of the smiling band having a blast, swirling colors behind the eyelids from the lights, and the giant, overwhelming sound of weapons-grade joy that wasn't hard to imagine was the voice of god.
-Review by TZARATHUSTRA
