TORRAX: CREW, HEAVY METAL AND A SEA OF MEMORIES

Torrax are not a band that simply wants to nostalgically dust off the eighties. Raw sound, live energy, a pirate crew and the desire to keep moving forward are just as important to them as their roots in classic heavy metal. In our interview for Rebel Sound, we went all the way back to their beginnings near Kutná Hora, their first albums and line-up changes, but also talked about the singles, some of which will appear on the new record. We also got onto Masters of Rock, the "TORRAX EFEKT", rum and, of course, the crew without whom this voyage would never be complete.

The story of Torrax did not begin with the name Torrax. In 2016, the band Angel Dust was formed in Suchdol near Kutná Hora, followed by a period under the name Thorax, and only in 2018 did you adopt your current name. When you go all the way back to the beginning, how was the band back then different from the Torrax of today? And which moment, in your opinion, decided that this was no longer just a group of musicians in a rehearsal room, but a band that could have a future of its own?

The turning point came when we started performing in public and, with every show, more fans joined us who liked the style of the 80s and were happy to reminisce about good old honest music.

Songs such as Duše and Příběhy were already being written in the very early days and survived changes of name, line-up and the band's further development. What does a song need to have in order to grow older with you and still make sense on stage? And, on the other hand, is there an older song that you could no longer stand behind today, either musically or lyrically?

We want every one of our songs to have drive, a touch of 80s music and the ability to get every listener fired up. It is impossible to put into words the feeling we have when writing new songs, but each of us can tell when everything clicks into place in the rehearsal room. The band is naturally continuing to evolve and new songs are coming, so with a few exceptions, we would no longer present ourselves with most of the songs from the first album.

The 2019 debut V každym z nás was Torrax's first real calling card, while Příběhy, released two years later, already sounded like a much more confident record. When you put these two eras side by side, where do you hear the biggest leap forward for the band? And what did recording the first album force you to learn in a way that no rehearsal room could ever have taught you beforehand?

The main differences between the albums are primarily that, while recording the first album, we replaced a female singer with a male singer. By the time we recorded the second album, we had a stable line-up and had started recording in a professional studio. While making the first album, we had to learn a lot of things because it was our first experience in a studio. Some of us had actually never seen a metronome before in our lives.

You identify with power/heavy metal and the classic metal school of the eighties, but nostalgia alone cannot sustain a band. How can you draw from the music you grew up on without sounding like a copy of it? What is the detail that, in your opinion, should make a listener recognise after just a few bars: "This is Torrax"?

Although none of us actually lived through the 80s, we really love the music of that era. We write music so that we like it ourselves and we do not worry about similarities. In a time full of modernisation, samples and artificial sound, we are one of the few bands that deliberately plays with a raw sound.

Recently, the band went through an important line-up change, with Sajmi taking over the microphone. Replacing a frontman can change not only the colour of the voice but often the chemistry of the entire band. What did his arrival open up for you, what did you have to rebuild from scratch with him, and during which song or concert did you first feel that the new line-up was truly working as one organism?

Sajmi's arrival opened up a different perspective on our future songwriting, a slight shift away from our previous style and some new adventures. Right from the first meeting in the rehearsal room and the first run-through of one of our hardest songs, we were sure he was exactly what we had been looking for. So just a week later we loaded him into the car and he sang his first concert with us. The chemistry after that first show was incredible, because we discovered that he is the same kind of idiot as the rest of us.

Over time, Torrax have developed their own vocabulary of a "crew", sailors and a shared voyage. Is it just a playful theme for the fans, or has it gradually become a genuine part of the band's identity? What does it mean to you to have an audience that is not just an anonymous crowd in front of the stage, but people you yourselves call your crew?

The pirate theme has been with us since the first album, for example in songs such as Dej se k nám, Bludný Holanďan, Z pekla a zpět, etc. For us, it is not just a theme but a way of life. We all enjoy life and freedom. Everyone standing in front of us becomes part of our crew the moment our concert begins. A crew member - part of the band.

Since 2023, instead of a long silence, you have been regularly releasing new songs - Rozparovač, Sny, Zakázané touhy, Do nekonečna and, this year, Tortuga. Is this the result of a conscious change in how you want to release music today, or are these singles gradually building a picture of something bigger? Can we read the direction of a possible new album from them, or would its final form still surprise us?

By releasing singles regularly, we wanted to show people where the band is heading musically, and some of the singles will appear on the new album. From the new singles, you can get a rough idea of what the new record will sound like, but you will still be surprised!

Zakázané touhy showed Torrax in a melodic, yet fairly dark and introspective mood, while titles such as Rozparovač or Tortuga evoke completely different worlds. Where does the first impulse for a song usually come from today - a riff, a lyrical image, a story, or an idea of what the song should do to the people in front of the stage? And who in the band is usually the one to say: "This song still isn't finished"?

Each of us has a different creative process. The final form of the songs is created collectively in the rehearsal room once someone brings in an idea. We have two songwriting dictators in the band - Krůža and Johny.

On stage, you build your show around energy, but also around two guitars, melodic riffs and distinctive solos. Where is the line between playing a song technically well and truly selling it to the audience? Has there ever been a concert that was almost flawless musically, yet left less of a mark on you than a night full of mistakes but with an absolutely electrifying atmosphere?

We have our own motto for that: "This Is Life - This Is Heavy Metal." Of course, we try to play every concert as well as we can, but the atmosphere in front of the stage matters more to us than flawless playing. We always pay attention to the reaction of the people in front of the stage, and so far it has never happened that our crew's response has disappointed us. We have another motto for that: "TORRAX EFEKT."

Kutná Hora is your home, and Česká 1 is obviously one of the places you have a very strong connection to. Does having such a solid home base help a band, or can it also be dangerous to rely too much on an environment where people know and support you? What did you learn when you arrived to play in front of an audience that had never heard of Torrax before?

Kutná Hora is our home port, where we also organise our Rockové vítání léta festival. We play regularly at Česká 1, but over time we have started to focus on events all across the country. There will definitely be someone at every concert who had never heard our music before, but thanks to our show they will never forget us.

This year, you also appeared at Masters of Rock. When a band that started out in a rehearsal room near Kutná Hora stands on the stage of a festival like that, is the stronger feeling one of satisfaction, or does it immediately make you want to raise the bar even higher? What did that experience show you about how far Torrax can realistically go - and where do you no longer allow yourselves to be modest?

We played at Masters of Rock for the second time this year. For all of us, it is a dream come true, but you cannot rest on your laurels - you have to keep setting new goals and dreaming new dreams.

The Czech metal scene is packed with bands, but only a few manage to build a name that reaches beyond their own region. What do you think matters more today: a good album, a strong live reputation, social media, contacts, persistence, or the ability to take risks? And if you had to name one thing Torrax must do over the next few years in order not to stand still, what would it be?

Live performance is the main pillar for us, but above all it is the contact with people after the show. Nobody wants to see arrogant little stars; people like anyone who will have a shot with them. In the future, we want to meet new members of the crew, play more concerts and festivals, and promote our new music.

And finally: if you were to put aside all plans, concert numbers and discussions about the next recording for a moment and speak directly to the people who have been on this voyage with you from the beginning, as well as those who discovered Torrax only this year - what would you like to say to your crew, Czech metal fans and Rebel Sound readers? And what would you like the name Torrax to leave behind one day, when the band's whole story is looked back on?

We would mainly like to thank everyone for all their support, whether they have been with us from the beginning or are only just joining us. You are the reason why we do this. We love you! We hope Torrax will leave behind a sea of memories, empty rum bottles, quality music and stories that hardly anyone will believe. One day the time will come when we publish the Torrax bizár folder.

Torrax's answers make it clear that, for them, being in a band is not just about records and gigs. It is a shared voyage that they want to keep expanding with new people, new experiences and new music. And if they really do one day leave behind a sea of memories, empty rum bottles and stories for the "Torrax bizár" folder, then one thing is certain: this crew has no intention of dropping anchor just yet. We would like to thank Torrax for their time and their answers, and we wish them plenty of wind in their sails for the next chapter of their voyage.

Denča