SOUND BITES

Typically a chance to take a breather from the year that had just passed and resolve to get through the winter while looking forward to some great albums in the spring, 2015 bucked that trend in grand fashion. From established artists releasing highly anticipated albums that met or exceeded expectations to hungry new artists looking to make their mark, the first quarter of 2015 provided an abnormally high amount of quality songs and albums. The tone was also set early with female-fronted projects that hit with force and built momentum for women in rock that carried through the rest of the year (I wrote about that here in April). The first batch of Song of the Year nominees are:

Whether as a byproduct of their new label, a reflection of their influences or all of the above, Torche's fourth album (and first for heavy music stalwart Relapse Records) finds the Floridian noisemakers at their most visceral and immediate. Whereas previous LP Harmonicraft was a spit-shined refinement of their mountainous riff rock, steering them toward the crossroads of hard rock and pop, Restarter ignites a trail of gasoline and breathes in the smoke. The intentions are clear from the drop, as Annihilation Affair crashes in with an off-time, thunderous rhythm and some murderous guitar tones before giving way to a hypnotic, cacophonous groove that threatens to never end. As the clouds part, Bishop in Arms takes off on a stampeding rhythm (courtesy of tom-happy sticksman Rick Smith) and a soaring vocal by Steve Brooks. It's followed by Minions , the first taste we got of the record back in December. Heavy and methodical, its slow groove and melodic attack make it an easy f...

It's been incredibly quiet over the last few weeks, and thankfully so; working my paying gig in retail is always a bitch at Christmas time, and this year was particularly taxing. Now, with things easing their way back toward something resembling normal again, I figured it's high time we take our annual look ahead. It starts with a handful of artists who have officially confirmed new stuff for early in the year and, as you'll see, there's some pretty intriguing albums on the horizon. Let's dive in, shall we?

TORCHE Reverse Inverted From: Harmonicraft Released: April 24 Still skittering along the underground, Torche dropped Harmonicraft this year with those who had the scoop on them well prepared for a pummelling. That Torche managed to release one of the year's most pummelling albums isn't all that surprising for those of us why loved their last full-length, 2008's Meanderthal . The surprise is in its sugary surroundings; even as the tunes gurgle and roar, there's a thick sugar coating that helps it all go down a little easier. And, when they do scale back the sweetness and replace it with an extra jolt of grime (as they do on standout Reverse Inverted ), its effect is all the more devastating.

With one of the year's most exciting Tuesdays just five days away, this week I was reminded again of just how much times have changed.  Rather than painfully wiling the days away and pining for that release date to come so I could listen to the albums I wanted most badly, and rather than deal with the impatience and guilt of pirating said albums when they leak, the internet has given us a most happy medium in the way of streams. Long a practice reserved for fringe artists, the advance album stream has become increasingly common.  And this week, we've been given the chance to sink our teeth into not one but two fantastic records that see official releases next week.

As previously reported, Miami sludge n' roll masters Torche have a new album out later this month.  Its name is Harmonicraft , its album art (pictured left) is astonishing, and its first single (the lumbering giant Kicking ) blew our collective mind. Well, in advance of the album's imminent release, another song has surfaced.  Reverse Inverted is a different breed of beast from Kicking , but is no less fearsome in its devastation.  In fact, its sludgy, off-time flavour is more Soundgarden than Soundgarden's new song: Harmonicraft arrives April 24 via Volcom.  Several formidable and tempting pre-order options can be found here .  You can also catch them on tour with Corrosion of Conformity in June, and on the opening day of the Metallica-curated Orion Music Festival (which, BTW, features an incredible lineup) June 23 in Atlantic City.  Road trip, anyone?

Miami-based bringers of sunny doom rock Torche have gone about their business rather slowly since releasing Meanderthal , one of my favourite albums of 2008.  Aside from EP Songs for Singles in 2010 and last year's split with Part Chimp, it's been slim pickings for those of us patiently awaiting a proper follow-up to Meanderthal . Well, no more; their third album has officially been named ( Harmonicraft ), given a release date (April 24), and adorned some incredibly badass artwork. To tide us over for the long ten week wait, Torche has offered up Kicking , the lumbering beast of a first single, as a free stream/download.  The mp3 is yours for the low, low price of an email address.  It may or may not be indicative of the rest of the album, but its muddy Foo Fightersesque riff orgy is a welcome carryover from Meanderthal . Check out the track here (via Pitchfork), and start counting the days; Harmonicraft comes out April 24 on Volcom.