as crushing as it is catchy, torche’s meanderthal is a glorious mix of pop sensibilities and heavy, heavy metal. given that my understanding of anything both “pop” and “metal” was limited to bands like motley crue, i was certainly surprised upon hearing this album for the first time that metal could be poppy without being campy (although the dillinger escape plan did toy with the idea on last year’s fantastic ire works). ranging from slow, chugging, melvins-like riffs to faster, more queens of the stone age-inspired rock, torche are not only well-versed in different types of metal, but also demonstrate that they are entirely capable of combining these elements to make something completely new. torche’s versatility shines through here as they somehow manage to make songs primarily driven by doom or sluge metal conventions, anthemic. like being bludgeoned by a flower, meanderthal is pop-metal at its best.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, meanderthal, torche
