This article was first published on Louder Than War on 8 March 2013.
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Today’s new band of the day is Tor, a Derby duo that make an insane amount of noise.
There are bands that make an insane amount of noise and while that’s fun, and has its place, that’s about all there is to them.
And then there is Tor. A duo from Derby who do make an insane amount of noise but within the onslaught of slashing guitar and thundering rhythm weave complex and intricate melodies.
There are some massive riffs sprung forth from Nick Dilkes guitar but there are also tightly coiled dancing flights. At times it sounds like more than one instrument with resonating backdrops for tantalising detail up front.
Rhythmically too this is intense, Paul Fleming gives out echoing military rim shots that change pace to become complicated fills. Between the two they fit more into the sound space of a three minute song than should be possible without it being overwhelming or anything more than ‘oh wow’.
And this is no studio trickery either. Live the pair become even louder, slightly wilder but just as gut-bustingly exciting.
Last night (7 March, Ryans Bar, Derby) they opened for Barefoot Beware and UpCDownC in a manner so bewildering raucous it just became mind-bendingly brilliant.
If you like your music heavy and experimental then Tor are among the finest of the young bands currently mining this particular rock face.
All words by Sarah Lay.