Wild Throne are a 3 piece rock band from Bellingham, Washington who have just changed their name from Dog Shredder. I have been stupidly excited about this band for a few years now, ever since I stumbled across the Dog Shredder Boss Rhino EP, which blew me away with its thrash, math and prog metal madness. Honestly, shit loads of fun. Then came the Brass Rhino EP which was even more ridiculous and I have been absolutely salivating waiting on a full length release. So here they are in 2014 with the release of Blood Maker, a 3 track EP, bollocks! Anyway as my eternal wait for a full length continues, Wild Throne have put Ross Robinson (KoRn, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, At the Drive In etc) on production duties which is something of a statement to say the least. We’re left with an ambitious rock band who have got rid of the name that would make most people assume they play comical grindcore and they are working with the godfather of nu metal... it’s clear Wild Throne want world domination, so can they do it?
It launches with ‘Wrecking Ball Unchained’, which comes in around the 6 minute mark. It’s quite a departure, a real poppy sound with lyrics packed full of cheese: “There is a place beyond the moon, an island in an ocean of light”, and something about a “fountain, a fountain of you”. Which leaves you thinking WHAT THE FUCK HAS HAPPENED TO THESE GUYS? It sounds like a-Ha or something but before we have time to panic the more familiar math metal riffs kick in.
It has Ross Robinson’s stamp all over it and has been produced to within an edge of its life. The weird thing is, it’s not a bad thing and it’s super enjoyable. It totally gets away with the audacious cleanliness, how on earth did they do that? The poppiness is balanced on the edge of a knife, one false move and it all turns to shit but somehow they pull it off. It’s like they have completed a world record for the world’s most difficult tight rope walk where lions on steroid lurk below. They keep us guessing with really refreshing passages too, like a prog band put in fast-forward or put in a blender, maybe like the Mars Volta but more accessible and fun.
‘Shadow Deserts’ is the absolute nutts, crazy guitar work before it fires into an epic chorus which will stick in your brain forever. I don’t often write about bands that have choruses but this one has won me over, bands if you are reading this, do more catchy choruses. Again, there are more passages than you can deal with making it a colossal journey, quite an achievement when you consider they play fast and hard like a punk band. The final title track ‘Blood Maker’ is a belter too, crazy beats, mental guitars which really delivers. Sure it’s a little more anthemic than fans of the genre would chose to go for, but believe me, it’s backed up with boundary breaking musicianship and holds serious power. The drumming is absolutely insane.
It really took me a few times to decide whether I like this or not but I do and then some more. This will polarise fans of underground rock, they are going to love it or hate it but in my opinion they have pulled it off, it looks like Ross Robinson was a risk which really paid off. Can these guys become a stadium sized force to be reckoned with like Mastodon or Red Fang? They certainly can and they will, the wheels are already in motion.
