Paste Magazine Calls Torche Their Band of The Week!

huge thanks to Austin Ray, Andrew Earles, and the entire Paste Magazine staff!



Band of the Week: Torche
Writer: Andrew Earles
Feature, Published online on 14 Apr 2008



Hometown: Miami, Fla./Atlanta, Ga.
Fun Fact: The album art for the band's latest, Meanderthal, depicts several mildly menacing but benevolently furry creatures drawn by guitarist Juan Montoya. A closer look reveals that each beast is a caricature of one of Torche's members.
Why Its Worth Watching: With sheer volume, force and catchy hooks, Torche brandishes a heart stopping live show that shames all bands unlucky enough to share its bill.
For Fans Of: Jesu, Foo Fighters, Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age

Pummeling, earth-shattering noise married to gorgeous melodies: It’s the golden egg so many underground acts have searched for, but only a handful have had the chops to pull off. Sonic Youth has made a career of the combination, My Bloody Valentine collapsed under an obsessive perfection of it, and the extreme metal and hardcore scenes of the '90s splintered into innumerable sub-genres, many of which put pop hooks in the strangest places.

Miami’s Floor formed in the mid '90s and spent the next 10 years perfecting a marriage of sludgy, mile-thick Melvins-inspired doom riffs and soaring vocal hooks that could have been lifted from Guided By Voices, The Beach Boys or Ride. Guitarist Juan Montoya hailed from the now-exalted Cavity, one of the better '90s combinations of Black Sabbath and deafening hardcore, and his last-minute membership in Floor led to the formation of Torche. “I’ve known Steve [Brooks, Floor/Torche guitarist/vocalist] since the early '90s,” Montoya explains. “I ended up joining Floor towards the end, and what I brought to the table sort of twisted things around. Steve decided we needed to start fresh, so that’s how Torche started. It has that Floor sound, but we’re big fans of melodic music. I can only take so much screaming.”

Torche has refined Floor’s approach with a self-titled full length (Robotic Empire, 2005), a 10” EP, In Return (Robotic Empire, 2006) and the brand new Meanderthal (Hydrahead, April 8). The latter establishes Torche as arguably the leading contender for the Heaviest Pop Band In The World crown. Whereas former Torche tourmate Justin Broadrick of Jesu reached new audiences by giving his music a great big shot of sugary shoegazer beauty, Torche puts an approachable rock 'n' roll face on this direction.

Meanderthal will go down as Torche’s breakthrough album without question. The crushing intensity of “Speed of Nails” recalls Helmet at its heaviest, then gives way to “Healer,” a song that wouldn’t be out of place on an early Foo Fighters record. The band’s eclectic taste and love of music shines through its dense, steamrolling attack. “Steve and I are the older guys in the band,” Montoya admits. “We grew up listening to so much. I saw My Bloody Valentine play with Dinosaur Jr in the early '90s. It was so loud. When that tour came to Orlando, I remember seeing the guitarist from (Floridian death-metal icon) Obituary there. I like that; people who make heavy music that are really open-minded.”

Torche backs up its recorded attack with a live show like no other. Reliably louder even, than the heavy bands it's toured with (Jesu, Big Business), live Torche shakes the rafters and moves air. “There’s something about just turning up and letting the white noise and rhythm take over, so that it almost has an industrial feel,” Montoya says. “I love that. Not to sound egotistical, but if I wasn’t in this band, if I was in the audience, I would love it. This would be exactly the type of band I’d want to see live.”

Stream Meanderthal in its entirety here.

Fuzz.com Reviews Torche's "Meanderthal!"

huge thanks to Doug Mosurock andd the entire Fuzz.com staff!



Torche | Meanderthal



Call me convinced: around 98% of modern rock and pop music exists because someone thought to combine sound x with stance y at time t, played at velocity v which is equivalent to length of attention span, divided by a nostalgia constant which we’ll call n. Drawn out on a two-dimensional graph, we can easily plot the trajectory of said music against t by its second derivative to approximate a lifespan of a particular approach for sound. (If you’re bored by now, just use the graph paper to map out a dungeon for your next RPG campaign. That’s what we were all doing in trigonometry class anyway).

What’s funny is that in 2008, no matter whether you solve the musical equation or tend to your DM duties, you’ll likely end up with something that will, on paper, sound like Torche. What this Miami quartet does is no different than what dozens of male-oriented, short-haired indie rock bands in the waning shadows of Slint and Drive Like Jehu worked out in the ‘90s: cram huge riffs and primary emotions into a dissonant, monolithic rock template–one that by turns had less to do with the punk rock its members were raised on than with the classic rock, progressive touches, and proto-metal underpinnings that their fathers, uncles, and older brothers grew up with. That sense of nostalg…er, n carried many a group to a logical endpoint: Don Caballero to obtuse geometries of sound; A Minor Forest to a major, cataclysmic hurricane of prog-rock bombast; Polvo to Who-styled largesse. It’s just what happens. To keep from making the same record time and again, bands feel the need to reach back to one or two key elements of their sonic makeup and update it based on their previous successes. But since most of the bands of the canon avoided metal as a direct influence–what with alt-rock and grunge writing over that at-the-time passé genre with dunderheaded style and stripey indifference–the places where it did manage to grow were surrounded by obscurant fences and thick weeds, visible to the few.

Torche presents a fitting workaround to this long-dead conundrum–better listening through landscaping. Guitarists Steve Brooks and Juan Montoya pulled themselves up out of Floor, a sludge-metal outfit that favored a glacial, chugging determination, and whose melodies and clean vocals eventually helped to move the band out of the margins. All those elements figure into the Torche sound, which if nothing else updates the incessant and inventive riffing of so much of the ‘90s indie mandate with a blunt, melodic presence, capped off by big drums and bigger amps. If Meanderthal does nothing but strike a balance between, say, the tightly-wound pop expanses of Chavez and the Hessian destruction pummel of Karp, then more power to it. But the fact that Brooks also borrows the champion vocal presence and chording mastery of Dave Grohl certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

Torche have come close to mastering these elements, and that’s what sets Meanderthal beyond a gladhandling rehash. Having stepped directly over the grimy tarpit of their in-between EP In Return, Torche bridges the gap since their 2005 debut in much the same way: short songs, high speed, memorable hooks piling up one after another (including a few tasteful borrowings; witness Sonic Youth’s “Mote” being appropriated in “Healer”), and pop sensibilities above all else. Not a moment’s given for the listener to catch up. One after another, Meanderthal’s thirteen tracks earn their keep, skidding between quarter pounders of cataclysmically heavy metal (“Sandstorm,” “Pirana”) and playful, scissoring hard pop (the spectacular octave-based crunch of “Across the Shields” and its emotive follow-up “Sundown”). Tempos burst forth, then slide back into half-time; vocal melodies play at counterpoint to the surging battle of guitars beneath. All the while, Torche builds up to a big payoff with the last three tracks, as the lessons learned within slow down and stretch out. They’re finally mitigated into a resin-melting bong rip of the title track, the band rolling defiantly in doom and happy to do so. They’re through finals. The dragon at the bottom of the cave lies dead. Have a great summer.

www.myspace.com/torche
www.torche-meanderthal.com

Pastepunk reviews Torche's "Meanderthal!"

huge thanks to Alex Harisiadis and the entire Pastepunk staff!



TORCHE
"Meanderthal"
(Hydra Head)



TORCHE have always been regarded for their crushing, heavy sound. However, with the appropriately named Meanderthal, we find TORCHE offering up a unique slate of songs that meander from outstanding pop to the neanderthalic and monolithic heaviness that we have come to expect from them.

Meanderthal sees TORCHE really moving in a direction of their own and leaving behind the memory of frontman Steve Brooks’ former band FLOOR. On their self-titled debut, the majority of tracks were weed-soaked jams laced with feedback and reverb, with the occasional uptempo track like “Fire” shining through. That song, along with tracks like “In Return” and “Rule The Beast” from the In Return EP, foreshadowed the best aspects of Meanderthal - the upbeat songs with an underlying sense of gravity and vocals reminiscent of Dave Grohl. I have always believed that songs were TORCHE’s strongest suit, and on Meanderthal, songs such as “Healer”, and “Pirana” prove that very notion. One of Meanderthal’s best is the song “Fat Waves”, a track which starts off as an uptempo jam loaded with hooks and, then on a dime, you are face to face with an angry Orange amp and a delay pedal.

TORCHE have solidly planted their flag in the realm of heavy music with Meanderthal, but this album seeks to achieve something greater. With its impeccable Kurt Ballou production, it truly does have something for everyone – from pop gems for the FALL OUT BOY-listening set to intimidating, one note bass bombs (see: album title track) for those who may have been fans of the late YOB. With this sharp and superbly-written album, TORCHE are poised to become a household name, and are easily in the running for best of 2008.

www.myspace.com/torche

Punknews Streams The Phenomenauts' "For All Mankind!"

huge thanks to Aubin and the entire Punknews staff!



Click to be taken to Punknews' full album stream of The Phenomenauts new album, "For All Mankind!"

Kaiju Big Battel Announces Boston, Phialdelphia, and New York Events!

KAIJU BIG BATTEL
Announces Boston, Philadelphia, and New York Appearances!



Expect a fierce battle between costumed characters — Steam Powered Tentacle Boulder, Uchu Chu the Space Bug (both self-explanatory), Call-Me-Kevin (“a loser sea beast”), and yes, even the “despicable, square-headed mad scientist” Dr. Cube will make an appearance — on a stage decked out with a cityscape just waiting to be destroyed. - The NY Times

The thinking man’s answer to pro-wrestling.” - Playboy Magazine

Not to be missed. - The Village Voice

Part pro wrestling, part Power Rangers, the underground hit Kaiju Big Battel quietly conquers America, one mutant at a time - Newsweek Magazine

One of the weirdest things you’ll ever pay to see - MTV News

Listen to Kaiju Co-Creator David Borden's interview on WNYC Sound Check!

Most Danger Spring!

The Kaiju Commissioner is thrilled to announce the next three cities to host Kaiju Big Battel, the world’s only live monster wrestling spectacle. The Kaiju Heroes will be ready to spring into action on May 10th at the Roxy in the heart of Boston. Then, Dr. Cube and his Posse of mischievous mutants will invade downtown Philadelphia on June 1st at the Trocadero. And if Kaiju Grand Champion, Call-Me-Kevin, can survive, he will defend his Kaiju Championship Title June 7th at Webster Hall in Manhattan. For Battel lineups, aexclusive commentary, and the latest developments on Kaiju favorites, head over to kaiju.com.

What: Kaiju Big Battel with special guests from CHIKARA PRO
Musical Guest: DJ Clashious Clay
Where: The Roxy, 279 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116
When: Saturday, May 10th. 7:00 Doors 8:00 Show.
Tickets: $20. Ticketmaster. This is an 18+ event.

What: Kaiju Big Battel with special guest Chris Hero
Musical Guest: Harry and the Potters and DJ Clashious Clay
Where: The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA 19107
When: Sunday June 1st, Doors 3:00PM. 4:00PM Show.
Tickets: $19.50. Ticketmaster. All Ages.

What: Kaiju Big Battel
Musical Guest: Ronald Regan and DJ Clashious Clay
Where: Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St. Manhattan, NY 10003
When: Saturday, June 7th. 6:00PM Doors. 7:00PM Show.
Tickets: $25. Ticketmaster. This is a 16+ event.

About Kaiju Big Battel
Kaiju Big Battel is a modern conflict of epic proportions. Planet Earth is under threat: scattered throughout the galaxy is a monstrous mob of maniacal villains, menacing alien beasts, and giant, city-crushing monsters that are waging war against one another. Presiding over this mayhem is the Kaiju Commissioner, an enigmatic human-arbiter appointed by a clandestine cadre of world leaders to regulate Kaiju rage. If the Kaiju Commissioner doesn’t do his job perfectly the entire world could get caught in the crossfire.

Currently, the Kaiju Universe maintains an active roster of approximately 50 monsters, including a factory-worker-turned-soup-can called Kung-Fu Chicken Noodle, a dirty hare-sage dubbed Dusto Bunny, a loser sea beast known as Call-Me-Kevin, and a despicable, square-headed mad scientist known as Dr. Cube. In addition to the Kaiju Commissioner, a few privileged humans also get a piece of the action, including Referee Jingi, a mustachioed official who enforces fairness and civility in the ring, Davio Salbino, an urban renewal expert who reconstructs crumbled cityscapes between Battels, and one tuxedo-wearing, mouth-running MC, Louden Noxious.

About Studio Kaiju

Studio Kaiju, an independent Boston-based performance and media group, is the creator of Kaiju Big Battel, the world's only live monster mayhem spectacle. Producer of consistently sold-out events, Studio Kaiju is best known for its live tournament-style performances, which are a character driven, tongue-in-cheek hybrid of American pro-wrestling, Japanese monster-movies, and lowbrow pop-culture. These multi-media events, complete with video installations, monster-movie props, a towering "Danger Cage", and crushable miniature cityscape, can also be enjoyed from a safe distance thanks to "Kaiju Big Battel: A Practical Guide to Giant City-Crushing Monsters" from Hyperion Books and the Kaiju Big Battel DVD series.

To fund its live event series, monster creations and metropolitan destruction, Studio Kaiju produces and distributes its own line of merchandise including T-shirts, "real" monster meat, magnets and a whole catalogue of other cool but useless, limited-edition designer collectibles. The world of Kaiju Big Battel is also supported by the fun-fun website, www.kaiju.com, which hosts Big Battel news, monster profiles, live event videos, arcade-style games, comics, and the most commercial online mall ever.

About Harry and the Potters
Imagine if Harry Potter quit the quidditch team and started a punk rock band. Take that one step further and imagine that he stole a time-turner and decided to start that band with himself from a different point in time. This is the premise of Harry and the Potters which brings Massachusetts-based brothers Paul and Joe DeGeorge together as Harry Year 7 and Harry Year 4, a rock and roll band that has captured the literary-minded ears of people all over the world.

Harry and the Potters started on a whim in 2002, an impromptu performance in their parent's backyard for a few friends. Since then, they have released three full-length albums and have toured extensively within the United States, performing in every state with the exception of Hawaii. A sense of adventure has brought them to play in all manner of venues, including rock clubs, theaters, galleries, museums, bookstores, doughnut shops, pizza places, and even a pirate-supply store. But perhaps they are best know for their relentless touring of libraries. For each of the past four summers, Harry and the Potters have loaded up their van and embarked on cross-country tours that feature libraries as their venue of choice. These tours are celebrations of reading and rocking and would often see the band posting Summer Reading Lists and exchanging Harry and the Potters toothbrushes for book reports authored by fans. Their energetic live shows bring together people of all ages and seem to answer the question, "What would happen if Bruce Springsteen had been reincarnated as a boy wizard?"

Their enthusiasm and DIY-approach to rock and roll has inspired Harry Potter fans to create their own songs around the boy wizard. A genre, known as Wizard Rock, has emerged in the past few years, and it now boasts nearly 500 bands, all performing songs based on the Harry Potter books. Harry and the Potters were recently featured subjects in the "We Are Wizards" documentary which premiered at SXSW in March 2008. The documentary follows many of the influential figures in the creative Harry Potter subculture and will be screening at film festivals this spring. They continue their adventures this summer with their Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo '08, a 45-date tour that will bring a their traveling DIY summer camp across the country for all ages shows everywhere.

About Ronald Reagan
"Ronald Reagan" aims to revitalize America's economy by promoting large tax cuts, moderate deregulation, reductions in inflation, and a revival of 80's pop music. Following undistinguished careers in film, actors-turned-saxophonists Kelly Roberge and Alec Spiegelman recruited an ensemble of Boston's finest rock musicians to the 13-piece ensemble that they named "Ronald Reagan". However, only a short time into the bands existence, the sidemen went on strike, violating a band regulation prohibiting critical players from striking. Declaring the situation an emergency, analogous to those described in the 1947 Taft Hartley Act, "Ronald Reagan" held a press conference in which Kelly and Alec stated that if the musicians did not return to work within forty-eight hours, they have forfeited their jobs, and will be terminated. Two days later, "Ronald Reagan" fired the 11 striking musicians who had ignored the order to return to work. Historians cite this as one of the biggest setbacks to the power of organized labor in 80's pop cover band history. "Ronald Reagan" currently performs as a saxophone duo, and is currently seeking Boston's finest (non-union) musicians to complete the band in anticipation of a 2008 tour to Grenada.



Watch as Kaiju battles it out in Bloc Party's new "Flux" video!



For more information, visit:
www.kaiju.com

The Phenomenauts Release "For All Mankind!"

Release For All Mankind Today on Silver Sprocket / Springman * Prepare for US Tour w/ The AKA's!



Minding the gap between the aggro Cal punk that dominates the Warped Tour and the avant-psych pop that's justly favored in their hometown of San Francisco, this outfit proffers a thoroughly endearing summertime blend. A scattering of bizarro sci-fi effects somehow only adds to the logic. - CNET

These guys aren’t like anything you’ve seen or heard before...I saw Phenomenauts play in both New York City and San Francisco; each time the place was jam-packed with people chanting "Science and honor!" A few dozen were dressed as robots, and endless streams of chicks looked like they’d just landed in from an R-rated Jetsons episode. Fanfare of that sort doesn’t happen by coincidence.. - Thrasher Magazine

A band that lives, loves and rocks on the grand scale of the cosmos - SF Weekly

The east bay's craftiest and bravest band - East Bay Express

This is a band that NEEDS to be experienced live, by everyone. - Punknews.org

Inspired by new wave and 70's punk, the third full-length from the world's bravest space band has just landed. A call to arms to defenders of science and honor across the galaxy, The Phenomenauts new album, For All Mankind deals with the serious implications of science fiction, science fact, and offers new perspectives on Earth life as we know it. The album folds out to form a space ship and comes with a die-cast metal Phenomenauts pin.

In an effort to spread this discovery of Science and Honor throughout the galaxy, The Phenomenauts will be orbiting the planet with comrades The A.K.A.'s and Maldroid on the For All Mankind Tour, and if the band's recent sold out headlining CD release show at Slims in San Francisco is any indication, the upcoming US tour dates (listed below) will undoubtedly blow the roof off.

Early transmissions into space have been positively received, with Lou Brutus of XM Satellite Radio saying "Be sure to pick up the disc, which features soon to be classics as 'Man Alone' and 'Make A Circuit with Me,' currently the Number One most requested song on Fungus 53." Terrestrial broadcasts have also been a success, with For All Mankind debuting on CMJ's charts this week as the #16 most added album.

The Phenomenauts' intergalactic pummeling punk rock assault, and over the top, interstellar live shows, have helped create a massive cult following and buzz around the universe and appearances on the likes of the G4 TV, the Sci-Fi Channel, the Discovery Channel, Myspace.com artist profiles, and much more.

To date, The Phenomenauts have toured the world w/ the likes of The Slackers, Aquabats, Demented Are Go, The Epoxies, the mighty Vans Warped Tour, and have trekked the states on numerous headlining tours. This year will prove to be most exciting for The Phenomanauts as they start to leak news of the exciting things they have in store for humanity, including upcoming music videos by the AstroBase (Venture Brothers), massive US tourdates, and more that has yet to be revealed.

Be prepared as The Phenomenauts help keep us focused and guide us through the turbulent waters of what the future might become. If we follow their lead, things might turn out alright.



More about tomorrow's exclusive album stream on Punknews, The Phenomabomber, and Science and Honor here!

For Fans of
*Devo
*The Stray Cats
*Tiger Army
*Rock N Roll!



For All Mankind Tracklist
1. All Go For Launch
2. Man Alone
3. Cyborg
4. Make A Circuit With Me
5. Navitron
6. Tale of Europa
7. Heroes
8. She'll Launch
9. Infinite Frontier
10. Compensation
11. Don't Overheat on Me
12. Into a Time Warop
13. Science and Honor
14. The Colvin Moon

The Phenomenauts Live!

w/ The AKA's!
Apr 16 Medford, Oregon 8:30P JOHNNY B’S
Apr 17*Tacoma, Washington 6:00P HELLS KITCHEN
Apr 18 Portland, Oregon 7:00P SATYRICON
Apr 21 Salt Lake City, Utah 8:30P BURT’S TIKI LOUNGE
Apr 22 Denver, Colorado 7:00P MARQUIS THEATER
Apr 23 Lincoln, Nebraska 9:00P KNICKERBOCKERS
Apr 24*Minneapolis, Minnesota 5:00P TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL
Apr 25*Chicago, Illinois 6:00P REGGIES
Apr 26*Grand Ledge, Michigan5:00P GRAND HALL
Apr 27 Cincinnati, Ohio 7:00P POISON ROOM
Apr 28 Cleveland, Ohio 8:00P BEACHLAND TAVERN
Apr 30 Cambridge, Massachusetts 9:00P THE MIDDLE EAST
May 1 *New York, New York6:00P THE KNITTING FACTORY
May 2 Asbury Park, New Jersey 8:00P ASBURY LANES
May 4 *Baltimore, Maryland 6:00P OTTOBAR
May 5 Washington, DC XM Live Solar System Broadcast:
May 6 *Virginia Beach, Virginia 6:00P STEPPIN OUT
May 8 Jacksonville, Florida 7:00P JACK RABBITS
May 9 Orlando, Florida 8:00P BACKBOOTH
May 10*Delray Beach, Florida 6:00P CITY LIMITS
May 12 Tallahassee, Florida 7:00P THE BETA BAR
May 15 Houston, Texas8:00P WALTERS ON WASHINGTON
May 16 Austin, Texas 9:00P RED 7
May 17 San Antonio, Texas 7:00P THE ROCK BOTTOM BAR
May 20 Phoenix, Arizona 7:30P THE BRICKHOUSE
May 21 *Las Vegas, Nevada 6:00P JILLIANS
May 23 Hollywood, California7:30P THE KNITTING FACTORY w/SuperNova
May 24 Petaluma, California 7:30P PHOENIX THEATRE
*early show
Stay tuned!
More dates added soon...



For more information, visit:
www.silversprocketlabs.com
www.myspace.com/thephenomenauts

Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, and NoneLouder <3 Torche's "Meanderthal!"

huge thanks to Brandon @ Stereogum, Fred @ BrooklynVegan, and Iann f'cking Robinson @ NoneLouder for their support!

Check out the praise below!



Stereogum * BrooklynVegan * NoneLouder.com