#torme

R.I.P. Bernie Tormé (1952-2019) Tormé was arguably more of a showcase for Phil Lewis than its namesake guitarist, though in the end the short-lived group was ultimately a waystation that kept its players in circulation until the next thing came along.  But their two albums had their moments, and numbers like “Memphis” were short and swaggering in a way that both fit the time and offered a window into how British rock was reacting to the dominance of hair metal in America: Lewis was an appealingly rowdy vocalist who still maintained a certain control in his delivery and Bernie Tormé tried to adapt the wildman flash of his playing with Gillan towards something more direct.  The track was one of the better instances of mid ‘80s British hard rock and was charmingly down to earth, but at the same time reflected how much ground England had lost after the New Wave of British Heavy Metal faded.

Bernie Torme (1952-2019),Rest In Peace

September 1985

While the dragon rests by juanjobasurto