All of our readers already know who Torche are. If you don’t, well, I’d have to tell you that you’ve been living under a rock for far too long. You need to go out and buy everything the sludge metal heroes have ever recorded. 2008′s monstrous Meanderthal blended detuned sludge with a keen sense of melodic musicianship and took the pole position in Decibel Magazine‘s year-end Top 40 list. I recently had the opportunity to exchange a few words with guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks, and here’s what he had to say.

Let’s start things off: Who are you, where are you from, and what led you to be exactly where you are today?

I’m Steve Brooks motherfuckers! I’m from south of the south and my survival skills got me to where I am today.

Torche has a rich history in metal. You and Juan originally played in Floor, while Rick and Jon blast and grind in Shitstorm. How did everyone meet, and how did the decision come about to slow things down?

First off, Juan didn’t really play in Floor. He made it to 2 or 3 practices before we broke up in 2004. I’ve known Juan since 1991 and I met Rick (who introduced me to Jon) through Andy at Robotic Empire Records 1 week after Floor broke up. Slow things down? I thought we sped things up?

Your music has a heavy melodic edge. You’ve classified it as “thunder-pop” in other interviews, but just what draws the band to catchier and more listener-friendly material?

Enough of the “Thunder-pop” reference. It’s retarded. Um, well, I like listener friendly music, what’s the big deal?

You guys are still smoldering off of Meanderthal, which received a lot of critical acclaim. What did the writing process entail, and how has the reaction from your fan base been?

The writing process was pretty quick and a little stressful. We’re all happy with the results. I think it’s the best stuff we did at the time. As for the reaction from people? That surprised me, because I thought everyone was going to hate it ’cause everyone hates everything these days.

You guys have become a three-piece. You were playing with Juan [Montoya, guitar] for a long time. What were the circumstances behind his exit, and how has his absence affected your live show?

It’s just a little different being a 3 piece, but it works better for us. There were a lot of reasons Juan isn’t in the band anymore. I’m a fan of his music and he’s a talented guy, but the 3 other members of the band didn’t work well with him on many different levels. It’s sad, but for the best. We’re starting over as a 3 piece and we’re more excited now than we were when the band originally started. Go figure, it only took us 5 years to get to where we are personally and professionally as a band. I feel like we’ve grown up a bit.

Additionally, how has the transition been from writing and playing rhythm parts to being in charge of solos and leads?

It was a little weird for me at first, because i’ve never been a lead guitarist. I just listened to what I did and what he did and matched it up to fill up the sound. So, now things are heard a lot clearer and tighter, in my opinion.

With the last full-length, you moved to Aaron Turner’s Hydra Head Records from Robotic Empire. Have you noticed a difference between labels? What aspects have improved?

Yeah, Hydra Head is the next step up from a small indie label. Robotic Empire actually suggested moving to Hydra Head because he couldn’t do the same things that a bigger label could do for us. We all still work together on different projects. Robotic Empire released the vinyl version of “Meanderthal”. It’s all 1 big happy family and we’re good friends as well.

Speaking of Aaron, he recently unveiled some new artwork ideas for an upcoming Torche/Boris split. What can we expect to hear from the band on this forthcoming release, and what information can you spill for us? Are we going to hear some sweet sounds again, or should we be expecting a darker influence this time around?

Judge for yourself. I think our track sounds like us. It was the first thing we recorded as a 3 piece as well. The artwork is pretty awesome.

The amazing artwork for the Torche/Boris split

You just toured with Harvey Milk and put on quite a show. It was definitely a fun experience. How has touring treated Torche, and how do you guys keep the positive stage presence?

I guess when we lost Juan, some things changed for us. Our attitudes changed and a little dark cloud was lifted, in a way. We don’t take ourselves seriously at all. I mean, how can anyone take themselves serious playing the type of music we do. We enjoy it and we want everyone around us to as well. I feel stupid being serious when i’m just a big dumb goofball.

I noticed something interesting when you switched guitars to play songs like “In Return” and “Charge of the Brown Recluse.” The E string is detuned to the high heavens to give it that “oomph” that make the songs so memorable. How did this technique come about, and how do you implement it?

I’ve been tuning my guitar like that since 1992 in my old band Floor. It’s the most extreme guitar drop tuning ever! Thank me everyone, for I broke a string.

That wraps things up pretty nicely, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer these questions. What quote would you like to go out on?

Bye!

Author’s note: You can hear excerpts from the forthcoming Torche/Boris split here.