Amplified is a weekly column focusing on new and emerging artists. Got a band that fits the bill? Email amplified@metalinsider.net.
I caught wind of these guys in our inbox a while ago, and have been waiting eagerly to hear some brand new material. Short Circuit is here for exactly that. Finland’s Throat are an excessively tough band to classify. Their roots are in punk for sure, but in a sputtery, mathy Converge type of way. There’s some shred, some droney passages, some sheer noise, but it all becomes a cohesive whole for the most part, and even when it’s abrupt in the tonal shifts, that’s still how they wanted it. Their artwork and muted, monochromatic sort of aesthetic reminds me of Foetus, one of my favorite seminal industrial acts of the 90’s, and in a sense they’ve got a similarly bleak sort of vibe happening, but it’s also blended with a very odd, offbeat sense of humor particularly in the vocal delivery.
That’s the most interesting part; this could be the recipe for a much more serious band, but they’re rowdy in a way that isn’t just calculated, “we’re trying very hard to make it sound like these parts are spontaneous” pretentiousness. Throat sounds like a bunch of hooligans drunkenly puking on a very unhappy Henry Rollins, and that self-awareness is a nice change of pace from most bands who go for a sound that’s anywhere in this neighborhood.
Stream Short Circuit below, then buy it. While you’re on their Bandcamp, I also heartily recommend 2013’s deliciously titled Manhole record as the release that won me over as a fan of this aggressively weird band. (you can have it for the low low price of one dollar, and it’s worth it)
