Torche – Harmonicraft
Volcom
April 24, 2012

This is a band with an energy behind them that is really unlike many of the other artists on this site.  Early material suggests a power-pop/metal/sludge mixture, but on Harmonicraft, the pop-sensibilities are the forefront.  It’s heavy, it’s hard, but it’s not hard to swallow.  Pop-metal?  It’s unique for sure, but for me, it’s a style that I gravitate towards so easily.  Believe it or not, former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee (yes, you ARE thinking of the right person) likes these guys, and made two statements about them that I wish I would have thought of first.  He said that they are “a band with more hooks than a pirate convention”, and when describing their unique sound, said that they sound like “Black Sabbath meets U2 mixed with a vat of delicious chocolate sauce.”  I agree.  Just listen to “Kicking” – tell me that if Bono decided to write the heaviest song of his life that this isn’t exactly what it would sound like!  Gah…I love this record.  Plus, look at this cover artwork!  It wins my favorite of the year, hands down.

7.5/10

If you had to listen to two tracks:  Kicking / Reverse Inverted