Guillermo CastroLike so many bands, local metal stalwarts TORO was formed by a group of tight-knit friends with similar passions and a shared musical history. After playing together in assorted projects over the years, guitarist Pablo Dávila and bassist Bruno Segovia decided to form a new band, one that, in Dávila’s words, would pursue a “heavy and original” sound. The pair were soon joined by another longtime friend and associate Adam Mitchell who added his guitar and songwriting chops to the group’s well of resources. Although it required stern diligence, the trio’s creative philosophy was simple: never settle.
“The only goal that we had was to do whatever was necessary to make the best possible songs,” Dávila explains. “To us that meant songs that were super heavy but also dynamic and interesting. As much as we love jamming and coming up with ideas in a rehearsal space, with this band we really wanted to be super meticulous and demo the hell out of every single track before calling it a song. It can be a painful process at times, but it’s paid off for us.”
After welcoming drummer Jason Belisha and vocalist Zack Hembree to the fold, TORO began fleshing out their demos in earnest. Soon the group had composed and arranged their first song, a crushing bulldozer of a track called “Painting with Shadows.” With its combination of breakneck speed, pummeling aggression, and melodic verve, the band’s opening statement made for a powerful introduction, one that served as both the emotional anchor and creative template for their 2017 debut Departure, a five-song EP mixed by esteemed producer and engineer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Pearl Jam, Minus the Bear, Norma Jean).
In December of 2017, roughly six months after the release of the EP, Hembree left the band and was replaced by Rodrigo Carvalho. This change in lineup prompted a critical evolution in TORO’s aesthetic—a determined push towards greater melody and even more thunderous riffs. “Anytime you change vocalists you’re bound to have a pretty obvious change in a band’s sound,” says Dávila. “Luckily, those changes have felt natural for us. We’ve embraced a lot more melody, but at the same time the overall vibe of the music has gotten way heavier.”
While the band has spent much of 2018 been sorting out their sound and working on new material, fortune has been breaking in their favor. Impressed by the group’s formidable tunes and strong work ethic, Bayles shared Departure with a few labels and record executives, including famed A&R guru Monte Conner. The man who has worked with such metal giants as Sepultura, Slipknot, and King Diamond found much to like about the quintet’s blistering assault, and recently signed TORO to independent monolith Nuclear Blast. For the band, the offer was an ecstatic surprise, and the fulfillment of long-held aspirations.
“It means the world to us!” Dávila exclaims. “Not only were we fans of the label, but we were also incredibly stoked to be working with Monte Conner. He’s the one responsible for signing most of the metal bands that we all grew up listening to. Honestly, he’s probably signed at least one metal band that every metalhead listens to or should listen to. The guy is an absolute legend.”
Details of TORO’s upcoming full-length debut remain fairly scant. As of now, the LP is still untitled, and although Dávila says they’ve settled on a producer, they aren’t yet willing to share their name. Still, 2019 promises to be a eventful year for the band with new videos and a significant amount of touring to come in support of the album. It’s a lot of activity for a group that until now has existed on the margins, and one has to wonder where this newly opened path will lead.
Despite their signing to an international titan, TORO remain a relatively unknown commodity, even among local metal fans. Shows have been difficult to come by, making the process of expanding their fan base something of an arduous task. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the easiest scene to break into as a newer band,” Dávila admits. “We’ve been lucky enough to play a handful of shows here, but not nearly as many as we would like. With this being our hometown, we’d love to be able to play more shows and just be more involved in the Atlanta metal community.”
If there’s been any longstanding gripe among local bands and musicians, it’s that the city rarely supports emerging artists until they’ve been embraced by audiences and tastemakers outside of Atlanta. While I’d argue this isn’t a phenomenon exclusive to our scene, it’s definitely a pattern of behavior that’s repeated itself time and time again over the years. Whether or not TORO falls prey to that pattern remains to be seen, but for now Dávila and company remain optimistic about their chances of breaking through and making a connection with metal lovers across the city.
“I think we have something new to offer the Atlanta metal scene,” he says. “All the guys in the band come from different parts of the world, and different musical backgrounds. That’s really been key in coming up with something that is unique to us.”
TORO will perform on Fri., Nov. 9 at Star Bar alongside Frostfang and HOT RAM. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: torobandatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @TOROband