| Restarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | Pinecrust Studio (Miami, Florida) [1] | |||
| Genre | Sludge metal | |||
| Length | 38:11 | |||
| Label | Relapse (RR7268) | |||
| Producer | Jonathan Nunez | |||
| Torche chronology | ||||
| ||||
Restarter is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Torche. The album was released on February 24, 2015, through Relapse Records. [2] Restarter was produced by Jonathan Nunez of Torche and mixed by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou.
To promote the release of the album, Relapse worked with the band to create a 16-bit video game called "Torche vs Robots: Annihilation Affair". In the game, players act as one of the members of Torche to destroy the robots which have taken over the city. Fans were invited to upload videos of themselves beating the game—fans demonstrating the fastest time with each band member before the official release of the album would win a prize package including Restarter on vinyl, a Torche T-shirt, two tickets to see the band on tour, and a set of Torche stickers. [3] The initial release on February 6 was limited to desktop only; a mobile version, for iPhone and Android devices, was released February 19.
Restarter began streaming in its entirety on SoundCloud on February 16. [4] The album was officially released on February 24, along with a trailer for the animated "Annihilation Affair" music video, directed by Phil Mucci, [5] which premiered on March 23. [6]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (79/100) [7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [8] |
| DIY | (3/5) [9] |
| Exclaim! | (9/10) [10] |
| Kerrang! | (4/5) [11] |
| MetalSucks | (4/5) [12] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.9/10) [13] |
| PopMatters | (7/10) [14] |
| Nefarious Realm | [15] |
Restarter garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Many praised it for "[refining] the doom-pop/melodic hard rock" for which Torche is best known. [10] Songs like "Loose Men" and "Blasted" were celebrated for continuing the tradition of incorporating pop elements into their brand of sludge-tinged hard rock, while the last 4 songs were lauded by many as some of their heaviest - Jon Hasudek called them "the least compromising songs they've ever written." [16]
Some critics complained that the album did not deviate enough from the band's prior work and felt it was too dense, particularly the last 3 tracks. [17] Despite this, many of the mixed-to-negative reviews still appreciated the album - Sarah Jamieson (DIY) gave the album 3 stars, saying it "isn't by any means leaps and bounds from what they've done before" but still manages to "reverberate" with satisfying sludgy weight." [9]
Restarter became Torche's highest charting album, which debuted at number 133 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart. [18]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Annihilation Affair" | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Bishop in Arms" | 2:06 |
| 3. | "Minions" | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Loose Men" | 2:28 |
| 5. | "Undone" | 1:40 |
| 6. | "Blasted" | 2:34 |
| 7. | "No Servants" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Believe It" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Barrier Hammer" | 3:51 |
| 10. | "Restarter" | 8:40 |
| Total length: | 38:11 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Harmonslaught" | 4:02 |
| 12. | "Rock 'N' Roll Mantasy" | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 45:51 | |
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks, "Harmonslaught" and "Rock 'N' Roll Mantasy", originally released together as a 7" single in 2012. [8] [20]
High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for doom metal band Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance with their song "Electric Messiah".
This is a complete discography of Hydra Head Records releases. Hydra Head Records was an independent record company based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1993 by Aaron Turner. It had two imprints, Hydra Head Noise Industries, which specialises in experimental and noise music, and another entitled Tortuga Recordings.
Harvey Milk is an American experimental rock/noise rock band that formed in Athens, Georgia, in the early 1990s. While Harvey Milk invariably draws comparisons to the Melvins, due to their penchant for slow, heavy riffs, the band has touched upon such artists as ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Leonard Cohen, and Kiss as influences in their music. They even went so far as to perform a live show consisting of nothing but Hank Williams covers. One April Fool's Day gig at the 40 Watt in Athens, they performed R.E.M.'s Reckoning album from beginning to end, while Michael Stipe was in attendance.
Torche was an American heavy metal band from Miami, Florida. The group formed in 2004 and has released five full-length studio albums, four EPs, two split albums, and three singles. They released their fifth and final full-length studio album, Admission, on July 12, 2019.
Floor is an American doom/sludge metal band from Miami, Florida, U.S. that was formed in 1992 by Steve Brooks, Anthony Vialon and Betty Monteavaro with Brooks and Vialon being the only constant members. The band has released three full length studio albums to date: Floor, Dove and Oblation and one EP: Madonna.
Meanderthal is the second full-length studio album by American heavy metal band Torche. It was released on April 8, 2008.
Smith Westerns were an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, composed of brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori as well as Max Kakacek, Julien Ehrlich and Hal James. Their musical influences included David Bowie, T. Rex and Oasis.
Songs for Singles is an EP by the American rock band Torche. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Hydra Head Records. It is the first Torche album, and second release after the split single Chapter Ahead Being Fake, to not feature guitarist Juan Montoya.
Locrian is an experimental music/drone rock band which formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States in late 2005 and is currently based in Chicago and Baltimore, Maryland. The band features Terence Hannum, Steven Hess, and André Foisy. The group incorporates influences from multiple genres including ambient, black metal, noise, drone, industrial, and electronics, and cite One Eyed God Prophecy, Uranus, Yes, Genesis, Brian Eno, and Robert Fripp as influences. Locrian lyrics and artwork evoke dystopic and apocalyptic imagery. Over their ten-year history, Locrian have released six studio albums, three collaborative albums, and numerous limited edition releases.
Magrudergrind is an American grindcore band formed in 2002. They have released numerous splits and three full-length albums. Since its inception the band has toured Europe and North America multiple times, Puerto Rico, Japan, and South East Asia, along with Exhumed, Despise You, Misery Index, Unholy Grave, Phobia and Rotten Sound.
All We Love We Leave Behind is the eighth studio album by American metalcore band Converge. It was released on October 9, 2012, via Epitaph Records. The album did not feature any guest collaborators, unlike the band's previous album Axe to Fall. The album was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou and the artwork was created by the band's singer Jacob Bannon.
Harmonicraft is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Torche. It was released in 2012 on Volcom Entertainment. Harmonicraft was self-produced by Torche and mixed by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou.
METZ is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 2007 in Ottawa and currently based in Toronto. The band consists of guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies.
Shamir Bailey is an American singer and songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada. His debut extended play (EP), Northtown, was released in June 2014 to positive reviews. In October 2014, he signed to XL Recordings and released the single "On the Regular". His debut LP Ratchet was released on May 19, 2015 in the United States. Since then he has released seven independent studio albums, Hope (2017), Revelations (2017), Resolution (2018), Be the Yee, Here Comes the Haw (2019), Cataclysm (2019), Shamir (2020), and Heterosexuality (2022).
Luminiferous is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band High on Fire, released on June 23, 2015, through Entertainment One Music. The album was produced by Kurt Ballou who handled production on the band's previous release, De Vermis Mysteriis (2012). The gap between these albums is the longest for High on Fire.
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Infinite Dissolution is an album from the drone rock band Locrian. It was released on July 24, 2015, through Relapse Records.
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Admission is the fifth and final studio album by American metal band Torche, released on July 12, 2019, through Relapse Records. This is the band's first material since their previous album Restarter, released in 2015. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by longtime bassist Jonathan Nuñez and is the first to feature Eric Hernandez on bass guitar after former guitarist Andrew Elstner's departure in November 2016. Admission was well received by music critics and scored 80/100 on Metacritic.
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