Torque: Brimmed with explosive undertones

Phil Demmel have played guitar in band like Machine Head and Vio-Lence, and are one of the most important musicians in San Francisco thrash scene. In 1996 Demmel and three other musicians released the self-tiitled album Torque. The new version of the disc includes four bonus tracks and will be made available as a CD, on vinyl and as a digital download.

It was 1994 when one of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scenes leading lights, Vio-Lence, called it a day following the departure of vocalist Sean Killian, who retired, and Robb Flynn, who went on to form Machine Head. The other members of Vio-Lence formed the riff-heavy, groove-infused thrashers Torque which saw Demmel taking on lead vocals for the first time. He was joined in the group by guitarist Ray Vegas, bassist Deen Dell and drummer Mark Hernandez, who helped create a formidably crushing four-way vocal assault with a tank-like heaviness that was to burn brightly, but briefly.

Torque’s songs all brimmed with explosive undertones such as dealing the world’s problems with ultra-extreme consequences Breed, a serial killer’s struggle with the dark side Shooter and being hunted Again. «Shooter was one of the slowest Vio-Lence songs he ever wrote, so it was a difficult song to sing and play at the same time», Demmel remembers. Looking back on that time, he recalls: «With writing and creating music, we all were willing to try each other’s ideas; all contributions were welcomed. We wanted to stay true to our core and get out and share it with as many people as possible».

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