Stone me into the groove

For someone who doesn’t smoke pot, I sure like me some stoner rock – Black Sabbath-copping rhythms, untelligible lyrics, tightly-wound guitar solos. Tune your guitar down, muddy up the sound and jam away for a few hours and I’ll probably like you.

But I also love the new breed of arty metalheads like Pelican and Isis who are just as much about texture and dynamics as they are about the Almighty Riff. These guys appeal to the much-more-dominant indie side of me and my love for experimental atmospheric rock.

So I guess it’s no surprise that I’m liking the new album by Miami band Torche. They’re intelligent enough to fill their music with subtle flourishes and amazing atmospherics – and they’re also goofy enough to let rip with some thunderous riffs. The album name, Meanderthal, seems appropriate for that reason – it makes me think of a big-ass caveman smelling some roses and enjoying the scenery.

A lot of the time, they make me think of those classic early 90s bands that sat somewhere between metal proper and grunge – Helmet, Kyuss, the Melvins etc. The rest of the time they’re like those contemporary bands that love Mogwai as much as Maiden.

What’s more, you can actually hear this split-personality all in one song.

Torche – “Fat Waves”