Unlike most of the sludge bands that feature indiscernible vocals and often choose feedback over harmony, Miami’s Torche has proven that melody-fueled optimism can be coupled with heavy riffage without losing any ferocity. Restarter is the band’s first for boundary-breaking Relapse Records, and on it the band dials back a tiny bit on the pop its been polishing on the last couple of albums and adds a bit more downtuned heaviness. Even so, beginning with the very heavy and groovy “Annihilation Affair,” which sounds reminiscent of the more melodic moments of doom-metalers Pallbearer and Yob, the band shows it hasn’t completely abandoned its pop sensibilities. “Loose Men” almost sounds like a rock single, with its catchy guitar returns and Queens of the Stone Age-esquer groove. And “Undone” could be dropped into a Mastodon set without fans being any wiser. Is Restarter the band’s best album yet? That’s debatable. In 2008, nothing touched Meanderthal, and the album still stands tall. But Restarter is superb as well; one of the best releases of 2015 so far.

(CN&R)