Released in 2019 after a four-year gap, Admission is the fifth studio album by Torche, the Florida-based band known for blending sludge metal, stoner grooves, and pop-inflected hooks into a distinctive, high-energy sound. The album finds the band at a creative crossroads: maintaining the crushing riffs and relentless momentum of their earlier work while exploring melodic and atmospheric textures.
The record opens with From Here a short but punchy track that immediately demonstrates Torche’s mastery of heavy riffing and tight rhythmic interplay. From there, the album alternates between full-throttle, riff-driven tracks like Slide and Infierno and more melodic, textured moments such as the title track, Admission which leans into shoegaze-like atmospherics without losing the low-end weight that defines Torche’s sound. This balance of heaviness and melody is a recurring strength throughout the album.
Vocally, Steve Brooks and Rick Smith deliver hooks that are catchy without being saccharine, weaving seamlessly into the heavy guitars. The production, handled in-house with meticulous attention, captures the clarity of every guitar layer, the punch of the rhythm section, and the overall dynamics of the band’s performance. The lineup change with Eric Hernandez on bass and Jonathan Nuñez moving to guitar injects subtle freshness into the arrangements, adding depth to the band’s already dense sound.
While the album is strong, not every moment lands with equal impact. Tracks like Times Missing feel slower and less immediate, and some shorter interludes, though texturally interesting, occasionally disrupt the album’s momentum. However, these minor lapses do not detract from the overall experience; in fact, they highlight the band’s willingness to push beyond familiar formulas and experiment with pacing and atmosphere.
Admission is both a continuation and an evolution. It retains the groove-laden heaviness, catchy riffs, and high-energy intensity that fans expect from Torche, while embracing new textures and melodic explorations that expand the band’s sonic palette. For longtime fans, it delivers a satisfying mix of the familiar and the new; for newcomers, it’s an accessible entry point into one of modern metal’s most distinctive and inventive acts.
