Every heavy act in the country should breathe an equally heavy sigh of relief now that Torche are headlining bills. The Florida/Georgia quartet puts on such an explosive, energetic and above all, uplifting, show that any band following them might as well be cardboard cutouts. Half a year after their critically acclaimed breakthrough LP, Meanderthal, hit streets, Torche have finally climbed their way to the top of the ticket, and their flawlessly honed performance on November 1st at the Satyricon (aka, Portland’s CBGB) showed why.
The night kicked off with a set from quasi-retro rockers Clouds, whose chaotic stage presence belied the melodic riffs they boast on their debut full length, We Are Above You. The lanky foursome from Boston grooved and strutted to the hazy hard rock slithering from their Orange, Sunn and Emperor amps, leading the way for the next act, Coliseum. The Louisville, Ky. hardcore trio was definitely the black sheep of the night, and stood out with viciously quick D-beat drumming, gang vocals and fist pumping, crusty riffage in the vein of Portland legends Tragedy. During a lull between songs, guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson rebuked the crowd for its purportedly immoral antics the night before, claiming he had gone to church on All Hollow’s Eve instead of taking part in the traditional debauchery. He immediately retracted the comment, sarcastically quipping, “Punks don’t believe in God!” before tearing into another barrage of anti-everything anthems.
While punks may not believe in God, Torche fans kneel to the impossible to label outfit like they descended from rock Valhalla to establish the Church of the Almighty Riff. There’s just something about a Torche show that can force the most cold-hearted, stone-faced hesher to shake his moneymaker like a teenybopper at a Kelly Clarkson concert. Maybe it’s the band’s unique take on pop, metal, indie and just about every sub-genre of rock, or maybe it’s the way frontman Steve Brooks grins wildly as he scissor kicks his way through deadly infectious jams like “Grenades,” “Healer” and “Across the Shields.”
The most plausible theory, however, is that no matter who you are or what “scene” or ethos you subscribe to, there is some aspect of Torche’s sound that will grab you and never let go, as if one of their massive hooks somehow materialized and wrapped itself around your neck like a cushy noose hanging from the gallows of rock, with Brooks and Co. as the executioners. But you’ll never want them to pull the lever. Not when they rip through a set this encompassing. While they mainly focused on choice cuts from Meanderthal (i.e., just about every song), tracks from 2006’s In Return EP and their debut self-titled disc were strategically sprinkled around the all too short hour and 15 minute volley. The guys even cranked up the doom and encouraged the crowd to follow the smoke (machine) to the hook filled land as they plodded through a string of covers from Brooks and co-guitarist Juan Montoya’s old band, Floor.
The night ended with “Charge of the Brown Recluse,” the epic opening track from their aforementioned 2005 debut. “War is beautiful,” chanted Brooks through the faux fog as his band’s subterranean frequencies shook the venue to its very foundation, threatening to collapse the only pillar holding up the sagging ceiling that separated us from the harsh Oregon elements. War may be beautiful, but it’ll have to take a backseat to the harmonic precision with which Torche approach modern rock. None of this bodes well for the Foo Fighters, who will be in a real pickle following such a killer set when the rest of musicdom gets off its collective ass and puts these dudes on an arena tour. Until then, those of us in the know will have to enjoy the thundering bliss in charmingly divey venues across the nation with 100 of our closest, sweatiest pals.
