Steve Brooks Announces Departure From Torche
I guess this could be the end of the band, and it feels more likely to me that it is than it isn’t, but I don’t know that so I’m not going to say it. All I know is that Torche‘s founding guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks, known previously as well for his work in the somehow-still-underrated Floor, has said he’ll leave the band following their Fall tour alongside Meshuggah, for which In Flames and Converge will switch out playing support slots as you can see in the poster below.
Torche‘s most recent album is 2019’s Admission (review here), which if you gotta go out is a good note to do it on. Long since in command of their style, Torche — who’ll also play Desertfest in New York this weekend; you might say I’m waiting for the pre-show to start while I type this — nonetheless continued to foster a sound equal parts exciting and their own. No word on what future projects if any Brooks might have in the offing, but for nearly 20 years, Torche have been a staple of the heavy underground, touring hard and bridging pop and heavy rock in a way that still feels pioneering.
If this is the end of the band — it’d be a ballsy move to keep it going without him, but stranger things have happened — there was never a point at which they didn’t kick ass. And if this weekend is the last time I see them, or if this tour is, I’m going to enjoy it all the more for posterity’s sake.
Brooks‘ post follows, backed by the Meshuggah dates from the PR wire:
We’re a few months away from the last tour I’m doing with Torche. We’ve been so very lucky and went far beyond what I imagined. I just don’t have it in me to keep this going living on opposite sides of the country. Much love to my band members and everyone that supported us these 18 years! See y’all this Sept/Oct
MESHUGGAH w/ Torche & Converge/In Flames
9/16/2022 Palladium – Worcester, MA
9/17/2022 Franklin Music Hall – Philadelphia, PA
9/18/2022 Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
9/20/2022 The Fillmore – Silver Springs, MD
9/24/2022 Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH
9/25/2022 Express Live – Columbus, OH
9/27/2022 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
9/28/2022 Royal Oak Theatre – Detroit, MI
9/29/2022 Radius – Chicago, IL
9/30/2022 Myth Live – Minneapolis, MI
10/02/2022 Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO
10/04/2022 The Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA
10/08/2022 Riverside Municipal Auditorium – Riverside, CA
10/09/2022 Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
10/10/2022 Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
10/12/2022 The Factory In Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX
10/13/2022 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
10/15/2022 Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
10/16/2022 Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
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Sorry to hear this news but it will make me relish seeing them at Desertfest that much more. Saw them several times way back when but it’s been many years since then.