Review Summary: The hard rock/stoner act is back on track after 6 years of silence...
Curiously enough, US hard rock/stoner act, Throttlerod has been out of the picture the past 6 years. After a productive decade, during which these underrated South Carolina natives released 4 strong albums (peaking with the still awesome
Hell & High Water) through Small Stone Records, they have seemingly taken a prolonged break. Functioning as a trio since
Pig Charmer saw the light of day in 2009 and only sporadically playing gigs afterwards, the band finally returned in the studio to record a 5th effort, called
Turncoat. One of the things I always admired was how they managed to never repeat themselves. There was always the intact Southern influence that kept things familiar, but at various times they added bits of noise rock, metal & sludge.
Fast forward to
Turncoat, this feels like a proper successor to
Pig Charmer, being an overall moody album that often relies on the thick atmosphere it creates rather than biting at the neck. I was surprised to see Throttlerod tone down when everybody in the genre is anxiously waiting to stomp that fuzz pedal. Instead, they chose to crank the bass while gradually bury the guitars underneath, especially on the last string of tracks. ‘Breadwinner’, ‘I Know a Ship’, plus ‘The Guard’ feature some strong bass lines, alternating between deep and heavily distorted, whereas the guitars sport a twangy tone for the most part. There are some cool, broken rhythms on the latter, on top of which we can hear a sustained, dissonant solo accompanying the tribal drums until the last second. There’s always a discordant element in the music, easily changing the course of things. Meanwhile, the title track and ‘Lima’ are two sullen cuts where the guys let the slightly dark instrumental unfold. They rarely burst, the former breaks into a Sabbath-esque coda, opting for a hypnotic ride. Also, the hazy vocals echo the music, adding a suitable, uncanny layer. Moreover, ‘Never Was a Farmer’ is built on mournful picked guitar chords, before growing into a groovy head banger. In some ways I wish they had abused more the distortion levels. At some points, it would have offered a crispy boost akin to previous affairs. Moreover, the vocal tracks could’ve been a tad more produced. I understand the decision to keep things raw, yet I feel it would’ve helped to the overall smoothness of the LP.
Thankfully, the band couldn’t totally abstain from delivering some dirty rockers. ‘Bait Shop’ boasts a cocky Southern riff that explodes in your face. The stop-start verses contrast the more melodic chorus and vocals are spot on. This is one of their most memorable moments in a decade or so. Right after, ‘Lazy Susan’ takes it to the next level with a crushing finale where Matt’s screaming his lungs out. At the heart of the LP we find the chugging, mid-tempo ‘You Kicked My Ass at Losing’, as well as the grunge-tinged ‘Cops and Robbers’ that shifts through several tempos. Throttlerod has thoroughly worked on dynamics for
Turncoat. There are a handful of straightforward numbers, however, each cut usually features several changes always keeping you wonder what’s next.
One might think that after 6 years, these guys would be rusty. Still, Throttlerod have returned with one of the best albums of their career. Perhaps surpassed only by
Hell & High Water (in my opinion, of course),
Turncoat finds them at their most versatile & consistent stage so far. They burst in waves then keep a tense vibe until deciding to hit again the distortion pedals. Many newcomers to the stoner genre have yet to find out about them, but now they've a strong reason to get accustomed to these veterans’ music.
