Victoria’s Torrefy bring thrash metal sounds to the west coast

Arts January 6, 2016

Local thrash metal band Torrefy started out as many local bands do: they were a bunch of friends jamming (at a house party on New Year’s Eve, to boot). But they kept at it, and now they’re hard at work on their second album.

“We went ahead as most bands do, just jamming as colleagues for the sake of music. Then our first album kinda just fell into place when we realized we had enough material for one,” says bassist Simon Smith, adding that it was “a baby you didn’t mean to have.”

Victoria heavy metal band Torrefy feel the heat: their debut album was called Thrash and Burn (photo provided).
Victoria heavy metal band Torrefy feel the heat: their debut album was called Thrash and Burn (photo provided).

After that album, Thrash and Burn, came out, the band continued to gig around town, particularly at Logan’s, which drummer Dan Laughy describes as the band’s “home base.” They’ve also managed to play some bigger gigs, such as Armstrong MetalFest, held in Armstrong, BC.

“We got to play with [Quebec death metal band] Cryptopsy and [Vancouver technical death metal band] Archspire, among many others,” says Laughy. “We couldn’t hear a damn thing while performing, but we had a fucking blast.”

The band are currently at work on their second album, The Infinity Complex; they are feeling more ambitious this time around, it would seem, as Laughy says that the release will be a concept album with a full story running from beginning to end.

“It’s faster, longer, and more in-depth compared to our last album,” he says, adding that “it’s definitely a democracy when it comes to writing.”