Review: Throatsnapper ‘About The Dead’

Throatsnapper’s new record About The Dead released Consouling Sounds came to me labelled dark sludge doom, and while that’s not necessarily untrue, in the context of UK bands who’d be described similarly, it’s a little unfair.

Throatsnapper 'About The Dead'

The analogue feedback intro is nothing new, but it sets the scene well for the death metal tinged doom riffs that follow, as the opener Another Way progresses to become almost meditative in its heaviness, before building towards catharsis.

Once the template’s established, the rest of the album doesn’t veer too far from it. It’s a simplistic approach, but it’s also effective and unclichéd, as the band take melodic pathways you’d expect more on a post-metal record.

It’s a simplistic approach, but it’s also effective and unclichéd, as the band take melodic pathways you’d expect more on a post-metal record…

Sporadically across the release, the six tracks show pretensions towards the euphoric climaxes you’d expect from fully paid up members of the Cult Of Neuro-Isis, but these can be clumsy in their execution, and maybe lack something in length or minimalism, which compromises the effect the band intended.

Subjectively, the somewhat lumbering and unchanging pace of the album could also be viewed as a negative, with very little variation in speed beyond double and half time variations of the same tempo. That said, are you really going to pick up a record like this and expect a slew of tempo changes and time signatures? And ultimately it’s the simplicity of this record that would be its downfall if you’re looking for more to get your teeth into, but if you’re seeking out more than the usual run of the mill cookie cutter blues scale “sludge” that seems to be everywhere these days, then this release is well worth your time and energy as it might well scratch your itch.

Label: Consouling Sounds
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram

Scribed by: Chris Wood