While it lasted, metal bar Torche featured a menu of drinks named after doom metal songs. Credit: Courtesy photo / Torche

A new bar aims to bring dark music and vibes to Dignowity Hill inspired by cosmic-horror author H.P. Lovecraft.

Torche, which opens this Friday, also will include a micro-gallery featuring work by local artists.

The bar will host a grand opening this Saturday featuring food, vendors and live music by Aztec Eagles and Naga Brujo along with a DJ set by Shrimps for Equality, the alter ego of Bobby Rivas of SA band Honey Bunny. The event will run 8-11 p.m.

Torche, located at 910 Nolan St., is the demented brain child of Joshua Castleman and a local business owner who goes by Bubba TX. Bubba TX operates Doomsday Tattoo and also has a hand in other tattoo shops including Coffin Dagger, Livewire and Into the Void. Castleman comes from the blue-collar construction world.

What the pair lacks in bar ownership experience, they make up for with twisted vision.

The duo envision Torche as a candlelit, gothy destination for fans of doom metal. The bar, self-described as “the heaviest bar in Texas,”  also features a strictly-doom playlist.

Many of the drinks on its revolving menu of signature cocktails are named after metal songs. The Weedian, for example, is a reference to the band Sleep, and Hunter Moon is named after a Russian Circles composition. A tea cocktail named Sweet Leaf is a nod to Black Sabbath, the godfathers of doom, and a fruity gin cocktail called Empress Rising references a Monolord song and album. “San Antonio is heavily rooted in the metal scene,” Bubba TX said. “It’s a huge part of who we are.”

While Torche’s inside bar will be centered on doom, the outdoor space will host concerts that venture further afield musically, according to its owners.

Art also factors heavily into the duo’s vision for the space. This weekend only, signature drinks will come with custom sticker prints by local artists.

Bubba TX says he hopes the 200-square-foot micro-gallery, sardonically dubbed Big Business, will also give a boost to local artists. Exhibits will only last a weekend, as opposed to the typical month.
“Small space. Solo projects. Short timeframe,” Bubba TX explained.
 Torche’s hours of operation will be 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The bar is expected to add a happy hour once it’s more fully staffed.

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This article appears in Best of San Antonio 2024.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.