Torche

Torche formed in Miami in 2004, founded by guitarist and vocalist Steve Brooks after the end of his previous band, Floor. He was joined by guitarist Juan Montoya, also formerly of Floor and Cavity, along with bassist Jonathan Nuñez and drummer Rick Smith.

The group pairs very heavy, downtuned guitar and thick low end with bright, major-key melodies and pop song structures, a combination often described as pop-inflected sludge metal. Their material tends toward short songs and forward momentum rather than the slow tempos usually associated with doom and sludge, and Brooks's clean singing sits above the distortion rather than fighting it.

Their second album, Meanderthal, produced by Kurt Ballou, appeared in 2008 and was named the year's top extreme album by Decibel, with Pitchfork giving it 8.2 out of 10. Montoya left later that year over musical differences, and Torche carried on as a trio before guitarist Andrew Elstner joined in 2011. Restarter followed in 2015 on Relapse Records.

The band has recorded for labels including Hydra Head and Relapse, and has toured alongside Mogwai, Isis, Pelican, Clutch, Baroness and Coheed and Cambria, among others. Torche released five studio albums in all, closing with Admission in 2019.