I love NY and Brooklyn. I’ve been there twice in the past 6 months and its great and I’m itching to go back, so im a little bummed that I may have missed or will miss a opportunity to check out one of Brooklyn’s finest, Throaat. A band that goes for the their namesake in so many ways. When I was first looking this over, I was thinking, “okay definitely a 80’s retro worshiping, bullet belt and spikes band (I mean look at that cover and logo!, also not a band thing by the way)  and I think we all can safely say…we’ve seen that and heard that all already a million times. Well, I was pleasantly surprised because it not all what you expect for the most part.

It is a 80’s approach in the music but I don’t think it is so blatant in what the band is doing, its like the offspring of Rage, Venom, Bathory, Overkill, Tormentor, Sarcofago found a time machine in 1985 and jumped to this time period. The songs are done so well and with passion, that they reach out and grab you by the throaat, (sorry ha ha) and say “Look where we are from!”, not “Look what we are listening to!” The EP consists of 5 songs and all are great and album pacing just gets it right.

The EP kicks off with “The Tortures” a mid paced thrash attack with elements of Sodom, a little black in the vocals but around mid song the melodic guitar element comes through and gives a early iron maiden feel. “The Coven” has more of the black metal elements, sounding like a bit of Bathory but again some guitar melodies mid song give more variety in this healthy dose of mid paced blackened thrash. The pace picks up a bit with “Explode”. I will say there is a bit of Overkill Feel the Fire era in this songs general feel, the main riff even sound similar to the Overkill song “Black Daze” from the album The Electric Age, but it does get the head banging, especially mid way through the song.

From strength to strength the next song “Rampage” comes bursting through. Reminiscent of early Sodom and Kreator, this song just lives up to its title, almost speed metal and borderline drum blasting. Plenty of dynamics within to not make the song boring at all, I can just imagine how this songs comes across live. Speaking of live, the next song a cover of Venoms In League with Satan would just be a perfect all around set closer. I can just see/hear the crowd headbanging and chanting the chorus. If you didn’t hear Venom in the 80/90s this would be a great introduction, it’s played well and it out evils the original. Production is standard it is kind of trebly in the overall and not much bottom end to but you do here the bass rumbling along on the songs, sort of like Venom has sounded in the early albums. Everything just melds well in the sound the guys have achieved.

I don’t think Throaat have set out to reinvented the wheel here or even created the next metal masterpiece, but what you do have is just a plain good ol heavy metal horns up, rollicking good time. So just kick back, open a brew (or 2!) crank it to 11 and let the metal lords take you over.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments