The Torch - Light That Fire

Published November 03 2014

*=Staff's pick	Riding Better Days* Black Gold Shadow Of The Sun Signs In The Sky* Light That Fire Nature Of The Beast Not Alone Save Me Until The End

Genre	Hard Rock	Martin Söderqvist	Vocals
Tracks	10	Martin Söderqvist	Guitar
Running time	34 Min.	Andreas Heleander	Guitar
Label	Rambo/Sony Music	Per Romvall	Bass
Release	29 October 2014	Eric Olausson	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboard
Producer	Per Romvall
Similar artists	---

Swedish newcomers The Torch play rather genuine rock music overall with a few influences from both three and four decades back and at the same time, they are also exploring the early nineties to wind up in a category between classic hard rock and the type of grunge mainly performed by Alice In Chains, from whom they undoubtedly borrowed some stuff. With solely 34 minutes of playing time, this album is of course a rather short effort, which I personally don't mind at all, because I have never seen the point in making lengthy albums without stamina.

The band has confidence and urgency, they're working hard, but nevertheless I don't think that they can find a way to really execute. Most of the material is pretty good or at least decent, but I also find myself looking for heavier hitting stuff which could complete the outcome into a really solid effort. The main drawback of this album is that it basically doesn't contain killer songs, which usually functions as a punch in the face and are able to pilot records to greater magnitudes. The lack of this high accuracy makes this record something that isn't quite able to flourish or turn out awesome.

The songs are somehow all too evenly matched, really without ups and downs and in my point of view, this is a record that doesn't illustrate the way to great heavier music. Light That Fire is in no way a bad experience, but as you've probably already figured out, I also believe that the band at this point is unable to really accomplish something special, in terms of the overall appearance, captivating songs and an album with staying power.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
5	6	6	6	5

Summary
5 chalices of 10 - Tobbe