The Torch was formed in may 2012 under the name Smash Atoms, by old friends Martin Söderqvist and Per Romvall, both formerly of the rockmetal band Hostile Cell. They started writing riffs, influenced by pure, straight rock, like the Cult, the Bronx, Clutch, Buckcherry and Guns n Roses.
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In came surfdrummer Johan Engelin from the band Skurkarna, and charismatic vocalist Glen Gilbert from Hide the Knives. Smash Atoms was complete and ready to rock. Demos were recorded and gigs played at the local rock clubs in and around Gothenburg.
The band had a fantastic vibe going, but drummer Johan Engelin decided to focus on his other band Skurkarna and left SA after the first show. The search for a new drummer was over before it had even begun, when old friend Ola Lindström, also from Hide the Knives, stepped in as a permanent member.
Pre production on the Smash Atoms debut album begun, and at the same time bassist Per Romvall was building a full service studio. The wait for the studio to be finished grew long, and tensions started rising within the band.
As recording started things were not moving as smoothly as before. Although the foundation of the whole album had been layed down during one single weekend, the overdubs and vocals went too slow. Members of the band started pointing fingers, finally resulting in the departure of talented vocalist Glen Gilbert.
Glen went on to reform his old group Hide the Knives, and Smash Atoms were back on square zero without a vocalist.
After trying out different options, guitarist Martin Söderqvist, finally decided to give it singing a shot. The result was exactly what the band was looking for. Smash Atoms was changed to the Torch, and vocal recording started again with rewritten material.
The debut album was finally finished in june 2014, one year after the start of the recording. After transforming guitarist into lead singer another problem arose. The Torch needed a new lead guitarist quickly.
Andreas Heleander from the hard rock band Debbie Ray, turned out to be the man after only one rehearsal.
After a long struggle, Smash Atoms was reborn as The Torch, symbolized by a burning Fenix bird. The line up was complete and the debut album ready to be released in late 2014!