TORQUE

Torque

MASCOT Big riffs and 90s vibes courtesy of Phil Demmel

While we ponder what Phil Demmel will do after his departure from Machine Head, his mid-90s endeavours are getting a long-awaited polish and reissue. Originally released in 1996, Torque’s sole album was very much the product of a metal scene that had just been given the fright of its life by grunge. A sustained rush of juddering, post-helmet riffing and alt-metal dynamics, songs like Again owe a huge debt to Pantera – not least due to Demmel’s passable Anselmo impression – and his scorching leads provide multiple moments of colour amid the relentless headsdown, post-thrash crunch. Deftly remastered and bolstered with four previously unheard tracks,

Torque is more historical curiosity than cult classic, but Demmel completists won’t want to miss out.