Turncoat
– Tracklisting
1.
Bait shop
2.
Lazy Susan
3.
Never Was A Farmer
4.
Lima
5.
Turncoat
6.
You Kicked My Ass At Losing
7.
Gainer
8.
Every Giant
9.
Cops And Robbers
10.
Breadwinner
11.
I Know A Ship
12.
The Guard
Band
Members:
Matt
Whitehead - vocasl, guitars
Kevin
White - drums
Jeremy
Plaugher - bass guitar
Review:
Alrighty
then. Never thought I was going to begin a review by telling on
someone. But there's a first for everything, I guess. Well, it will
be sort of telling on someone since no names are mentioned. However,
when Throttlerod's new album 'Turncoat' was sent my way, I was told
"these guys are a Southern Rock band and I don't like that. You
wanna do the review?". Sure thing, I don't mind since I like
Southern Rock for the most part. But imagine my surprise as I pressed
play and this amazing wax hits me like a ton of bricks. And there's
no Southern Rock in sight! So Mr. You-know-who, shame on you for
fooling gullible me. Anyway, let's get back on track and focus on the
important stuff, namely Throttlerod's latest opus 'Turncoat'.
What
this trio build their music around, is a groovy and bluesy rhythm
section with harmonies á la King's X against hard driving and earth
shaking rock with a touch of punk thrown in to spice things up. Razor
sharp riffs of a great calibre soars on top of this while the band
moves effortlessly and fluently between tempo changes. Another
standout feature is the use of the bass guitar more as a rhythm
guitar, something which changes the music immensely.
A
group of songs, seven in all, represents perfectly what Throttlerod
are about. Pulsating rhythms navigates 'Bait Shop' while loads of
groove and riffs cuts through the heaviness. Bluesy at first, 'Lazy
Susan' is then explosive to hell and back. The chorus is a
steamroller...brutal, you hear! I'm so glad someone has finally taken
the heritage of King's X and nurtured it so well. 'Never Was A
Farmer' is a perfect example where musically it could come from
either 'Out Of The Silent Planet' or 'Gretchen Goes To Nebraska',
while the vocals and lyrics are from 'Dogman'. Then add Throttlerod
to the equation and voilà, you have this amazing song. The title
track brings the 'Faith, Hope, Love' era to mind. Harmonies,
melodies, riffs, and vocals are all such a great homage to King's X.
'Gainer'
leads the charge into heavier territories and is kind of chaotic and
punishing at the same time. Groovy elements are interspersed while
building up momentum. 'Every Giant' is almost English 80's indie rock
at first, only to rip me apart about a minute in. Then attitude and
intensity meets...only for everything to start over from the
beginning. Beautiful! Oh yeah, strong wonderful Therapy? vibes in
'The Guard' and I love it. Intense, intense, intense...can't get any
better.
Although
five albums into their career I had never heard of Throttlerod before
but I am pleasantly surprised and wanting more. Highly original,
which is very hard these days, especially the way they've taken their
influences and blended the so well with their own stuff. Only bands a
cut above the rest has that knack and Throttlerod has it in
abundance. Check them out because talent like this trio must not go
unnoticed!
Words
by Håkan Nyman
Links: