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Torche - Biography


Biography

The group was formed by Steve Brooks (ex Floor), Juan Montoya (ex Floor, ex Cavity), Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith (who also played in the grindcore band Shitstorm and the screamo band Tunes for Bears to Dance To). According to MTracks.com: "Their music has a unique, hard-hitting sound that provokes a wide range of emotions, and they have a large fan base throughout the world." They have toured with Mogwai, Isis, Pelican, Black Cobra, Baroness, Jesu, The Sword, Stinking Lizaveta and Boris. Steve Brooks, however, has said that they don't consider themselves a metal band. In describing the band's sound, Smith said in an interview: "To me it's mostly a combination of everything we listen to collectively as a band. We take what we like from what we grew up on and use it as creatively as we can. I think the meshing of different sounds comes naturally just because we all have different musical backgrounds yet have a ton of common interests." In terms of touring, Brooks said Torche is getting more of a young crowd.

On April 8, 2008, the band released their second full-length, entitled Meanderthal. It was produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Genghis Tron). It was met with critical acclaim, including that from Decibel magazine who ranked Meanderthal #1 on their list of the Top 40 Extreme Albums of 2008. In an interview, Brooks said the band themselves came up with the album's concept in terms of artwork and packaging. Brooks has also said that in terms of writing material, the band focuses on what they like, rather than worrying about a "backlash" from their fans.

In late 2008 Juan Montoya left the band due to music differences. Steve Brooks said "He is an amazing guitarist, but we are just not on the same page... but Torche will still carry on as a 3 piece band".

(source: Here)