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Meanderthal
Hydra Head
When is a doom and/or stoner metal band not a doom and/or stoner
metal band? When their work is as motivated and blessedly varied as
Torche's barrage of styles on Meanderthal, an album with a witty yet inept
name. Instead of growing complacent with lumbering sludge, they test the
comfort levels of pop music lovers everywhere with tracks like "Healer"
and "Grenades" that both mesh thick guitars with an incredible sense of
melodic competency. And who could forget the full-bodied voice flying
high above the mixture? This doesn’t mean that Meanderthal isn’t a challenging album; on the contrary, you have the kind of zigzag apoplexy of "Triumph of Venus" and the confrontational pounding of "Little Champions" to serve as reminders that Torche can still rock their old form very well—it's just that now they do it alongside other songs that are more palatable.
- Reyan Ali
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