Faster, heavier & louder!
That was the motto when Torch started in 1981. Five young metalheads from the small town Eskilstuna in Sweden, equipped with a big dream and burning ambitions.
Dan Dark on vocals, Chris J. First and Claus Wild on guitars, Ian Greg on bass and Steve Streaker on drums.
In this line-up the EP “Fire Raiser” (1982) as well as the albums “Torch” (1983) and “Electrikiss” (1984) were recorded, followed by tours through Sweden and Europe. Torch even got kicked out of a Motörhead tour once for smashing a drum kit.
But already in 1986 the band split up again.
“The Torch” only burned for a few years, but their influence was greater than the musicians themselves realized. Robb Flynn of Machine Head, for example, said the first song they ever played live was a Torch song. And Snowy Shaw of King Diamond said that he named his first band after a song by Torch.
Over the years there were many requests from fans for a reunion. But it wasn’t until 2013 that it finally happened. Four of the founding members brought their old friend and guitarist Håkky into the band to play on a rock cruise. The comeback gig was a huge success and the musicians felt that the time had come to let Torch flare up again. More gigs followed, including one at the Sweden Rock Festival 2018, where the band was very well received.
But Torch was not satisfied with just living in the past. So in 2019 they started writing and recording new material. Responsible for the mix and mastering was none other than Grammy-nominated producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, U.D.O., Pretty Maids).
The result of this work are the first new Torch songs in 35 years, which will be released this year on Metalville Records.
LINE UP
Dan Dark – voc
Chris J First – guit
Håkky – guit
Ian Greg – bass
Steve Streaker – drums
DISCOGRAPHY
Fire Raiser (EP) – 1982
Torch – 1983
Elektrikiss – 1984