Torus - High Rope

Milton Keynes/Northampton rockers Torus have made the most of a dreadful year, releasing a series of singles and building up an active social media presence. To round proceedings off for 2020, they've released 'High Rope', a bouncy number that simply screams out to be played to a crowd in a sweaty pub - or ultimately, perhaps somewhere bigger. 

An intro with fuzzed-out bass and a lively rhythm - complete with cowbell - sees the song drop into an energetic verse that gets the head nodding immediately. Alfie's vocal range allows him to both sing in a grungy baritone as well as a Muse-esque falsetto, often within the same line. The half-time feel in the subsequent bridge section shows their influence from the stoner/doom sphere - obvious if you've been following them for a while. Torus blend in several elements, from subtle vocal harmonies to a tasteful, bluesy solo midway through. It's solid evidence of the thought and detail going into their compositions.

The second half of the song sees Torus show off more of their stoner/doom chops - particularly while they continually drop the tempo over the last 45 seconds. 'Heaviness' isn't really the word here - but they certainly nod towards this way of playing and do so to brilliant effect. The juxtaposition between this section and the more upbeat first half show that Torus are no one-trick pony. With an abundance of single-dimensional bands who may gather a committed but exclusive sect of fans, it's refreshing for an act such as these to emerge. They cover a lot of musical ground and it's only a matter of time before people really start to take notice.

This will appeal to fans of Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden as much as it will appeal to fans of Monolord and Kyuss - and even fans of the likes of Muse or Arctic Monkeys. Torus certainly have the potential to become a major player in the UK stoner scene if they continue to release output of this quality.

MN