This is the second full-length opus courtesy of the mighty Torche. Their first release was the 2005 self-titled album although they did bring out a six-track CD called 'In Return' in 2007.

Basically, if you like Sabbath and bands of their ilk; and the gritty and thunderous bounce of grunge then you'll really dig Torche. They're from Miami (hmmm...it's interesting that they should make such heavy and doom-laden music coming from a sunny, tourist-ridden part of the States) and are currently on a tour with The Sword, an equally brilliant and vibrant metal band.

Torche is Steve Brooks (guitar and vocals,) Juan Montoya (guitar,) Jonathan Nuņez (bass) and Rick Smith (drums.) They have an incredible sense of musicianship with lots of extended solos and instrumentals during songs. In terms of the Sabbath connection, I'm thinking 'Vol.4' and the underrated 'Sabotage.' This is one hell of a surprisingly good album: a song like 'Sundown' is top-quality stoner metal while 'Without A Sound' is doom metal brilliance. Recommended.

****

Review by Neil Daniels