[Photos/Text by Andrew Parks; slideshow available here]
The last time we saw Torche open for someone, the flame-throwing power trio was still on Robotic Empire, CBGB’s was a few months away from closing, and The Sword was sitting pretty in the show’s headliner slot. Needless to say, we didn’t feel the need to stick around that night; not when Torche’s sludge-slinging jams left a sufficient ringing sensation in our ears and a Steve Brooks-ian smile across our otherwise jaded face.
Sorry Dredg, but the same circumstances kept us from sticking around for your prog-tastic set on Sunday night. To be fair, looming deadlines were partly to blame. But beyond that, it’s easy to say enough amp-impoding music is enough when it’s delivered in the lurching, lock-step doom/stoner rock/deviant pop hybrid that Torche has perfected over the past four years.
Speaking of, Torche’s well-oiled sound–Molasses City Mayhem straight out of, err, Miami–has gotten even gnarlier with Brooks’ ex-Floor-mate/fellow guitarist, Juan Monotya, out of the equation. We’re talking some serious highway to Hades shit, as epitomized by spot-on renditions of “Pirana,” “Sandstorm,” “Warship” and a particularly nasty “Amnesian.” There were others; we just have a hard time remembering titles when a set’s this blustery. Some photos survived, though …
