Review: Torche & Boris – Chapter Ahead Being Fake EP
Torche & Boris - Chapter Ahead being Fake EP (2010) [Hydra Head] // Grade: A+
It’s been a while since I heard anything from either of these bands that struck me as inspiring as their earlier work. Growing up down south, I must have seen Floor and Cavity, Torche’s predecessors a dozen times. The same goes for Toche. Having never seen Boris live, I can’t speak for them but Torche’s energy during their live performance is something that has never been captured on any recording. Enter Chapter Ahead being Fake which is, in my bull-headed opinion, the first release to do so. Torche and Boris’ performance on this two-track, 18-minute long EP is so commanding and powerful that it literally sends goose bumps up my back every time I listen to it. Each track captures the art and energy of the bands to a new degree. Like the Ying and Yang one cut balances out the other. A perfect pairing.
Starting with the empirical dictatorship of “King Beef”, we’re all reminded of one of the key elements in Torche’s weaponry, Rick Smith’s powerful percussion onslaught. The entire 5-minute cut is pummeled into submission. This is Torche at their full potential. Steve Brooks and Jonathan Nuñez absolutely crush it in their own respect as well. From “King Beef” we are introduced to “Luna”, a very atypical Boris composition. Having never been a huge fan of the band in the past (I know I know), I can say that “Luna” brought a new level of respect from me to Boris. After sitting through it a few times, I revisited their other albums to see their work in a new light.
Maybe that’s what the intent of this EP was for the bands; a brief glimpse to keep their fan base yearning for more and a taste of their talents to gain new followers. It’s tough to say what each band was thinking, but overall I’m not going to question the ends with such a successful means. Mixing genres and composing beautiful music is what drives these guys and I can’t say anything bad about it other than it’s just too damn short! Do yourself a favor and grab this one, if you haven’t already.
