Adam Holtzapfel - Being from a musically diverse state as Florida, how has that influenced your sound, if at all?

Steve Brooks - Most of what has inspired me hasn’t been from Florida.

Rick Smith - Actually we’ve used Salsa, Reggae, Reggaeton, Miami Bass, Booty Dance.

SB - Rick does because he’s got that beat.

AH-It seems the metal community has been widely accepting of what you’re doing, I’ve seen terms like feel good metal tossed around when describing Torche. Do you think that’s because people feel the need to label music versus the if something is good, it’s good mantra? How do you feel you fit in with the metal community?

SB - I don’t know. I don’t know where we fit in.

Andrew Elstner - I think people feel the need to label stuff. People want to be a part of the scene or whatever. Feel good metal is fine, that doesn’t bug me.

AH - With Restarter coming out in early 2015, what’s on the table this year for Torche?

SB - We’re writing new music right now. Hopefully record a new record this year, that’s the plan. We’re going to be touring pretty much.

AH - That kind of leads to my next question, how did the tour with Kvelertak come about?

AE - We actually toured with them before. We toured with them and Converge. We bonded with them pretty hard, they’re great guys. We’ve kept in touch with them since then. There was almost overseas, but it didn’t work out time wise. Yeah we played Norway and just stayed in touch. It was three or four years ago we toured with them. After doing their big tour with Mastodon they’re coming back on this run with a new record and asked us to do it.

AH - With things going more of a digital route, how do you see your sales stack up against your vinyl, cd stuff and the digital stuff?

SB - When we’re on tour we sell much more vinyl and cd’s. It’s always been kind of the same since we started the band. Vinyl is the most important thing, the biggest seller basically.

AH - Do you cook more or what are some of your favorite spots to eat at when you’re back home?

SB - My Favorite spot?

RS – Cheesecake Factory

SB - No dude I haven’t been there in like maybe a decade. I usually try to eat reasonably priced if go out. There’s lot of great places in Atlanta. Atlanta is filled with different restaurants, eateries, and everything. I really can’t choose one because I’ve had so many that were great. One that I go to often is Tin Drum; it’s kind of like a fast food Asian place. Noodles and stuff. The one that I go to has like David Sylvian on the wall and the band Japan album cover on the wall. When I first went there I was like Tindrum, ok I get it. It’s sort of like a fast food place. Whoever does the music does a lot of obscure stuff. I tend to go there a lot.

AE - What part of town is it in?

SB - Over by Lindbergh Station, Piedmont Road.

RS - The places I’d recommend in Miami or give a shout out to are Konata’s which is a vegan, Rastafari, I-tal style restaurant. Its family owned and operated. They work super hard. I’d rather give my money to those people and eat healthy then almost anywhere else. There’s another place that’s family owned and operated close to my house called Ricky Thai. That place is also super quality food. I don’t know where the husband’s from, but he has a wife from Thailand. They opened this restaurant together, I started going there when it was a tiny little hole in the wall and it was just the two of them. Now they got multiple people in the kitchen and are trying to expand what little space they have, it’s packed all of the time, I’m glad for them. Their food is to notch. The other place is a little Italian restaurant by my house that’s family owned and operated called Primo Trattoria. As far as like being on tour going to Italy and actually having the food there and being a big fan in general of Italian food it’s the only place in Miami that I feel has the same quality and freshness that Italian food had in Italy when we were there. That place was awesome.

AE - I’m a huge fan of cooking at home which I do often. When I go out in Atlanta I’m a huge fan of Community BBQ. Killer spot. It reminds me mostly of the barbecue I had in St. Louis which I think is far superior to Carolina style, which is mostly what you find in Atlanta, so Community is outstanding. I’m a huge fan of soul food. Mary Mac’s Tea Room is super legendary, been there a long time, incredible soul food. My friends restaurant Argosy is a regular haunt. I like cooking at home and it saves me a ton of money. I have friend that hate it and would rather go out, but I don’t mind it.

AH - Last but not least, what’s your favorite movie of all time?

SB - That’s kind of hard I have many favorites. One of them is Happiness and another obviously Clockwork Orange, Braveheart.

AE - Mine is Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood movie.

SB - I love movies, so I got so many.

RS - I usually watch documentaries and shit. I don’t watch a lot of movies. I do like TV shows like Breaking Bad, that one is awesome. I’m watching the spinoff now, Better Call Saul. That’s about it though. I try to watch documentaries, I feel like with the limited amount of time I have I may as well learn something if I’m going to watch TV.

Keep up to date with Torche at

http://www.torchemusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/torcheofficial

https://torche.bandcamp.com/

Pics courtesy of Facebook and Brigit See