TORCH: SELF-TITLED - Forging a New Path in Swedish Heavy Metal
Album Description:

Torch hit the early-80s metal surge in a very Swedish way: colder air, tighter grip, less wink. You can file them near the NWOBHM current if you want, but this is not a British pint-and-chorus thing. It is a band that came out of Black Widow, lit the fuse again, and decided the riffs should do the talking.

The self-titled LP first appears on this page as a Swedish 1983 release on Tandan, and it later turns up as a French 1984 edition on Sword Records (a Barnett Records division). Same album, different paperwork. Collectors love paperwork. Music does not care.

What I hear is a record that moves like boots on concrete: guitars grinding forward, rhythm section pushing, and melodies that show up like a bruise you keep prodding because, yes, it still hurts. Tracks like "Warlock" and "Assassin" do not ask nicely. "Beyond the Threshold of Pain" leans into the drama without turning into theatre.

The sleeve credits on this page point to Thomas Summo handling production and sound engineering, with recording at Popstudio, mixing at Studio Bastun, and mastering at Polar. That chain matters because it explains why the album can sound both raw and clean at the same time: not sterile, just sharp enough to cut.

The cover is credited here to Kjelle Lindgren, and it fits: direct, bold, no apology. Torch did not become a household name, and honestly that is fine. Some records are better when they stay slightly out of reach, the kind you find, keep, and then quietly judge other albums against.

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