Throcult
Stormbringer - Conjuration of the Nighthorde
7.1
Beginning in 1997, Throcult, a four piece from Colorado featuring members of Serberus, actually live up to their title of unique black metal. After hearing their last release, Soldiers Of The Blackened War, I made a mental note of the band as a group to keep an eye on. If I'm not mistaken, this is their third release and their second one on Crash Records, whom they've signed a three album deal with.
It seems like Throcult's pretty concerned with throwing twists and turns into their music, or at least doing whatever they can to avoid being labeled as straightforward. Imagine Belphegor crossed with the stranger aspects of Morbid Angel. Everything's strangely melodic and played frenetically, but you can't necessarily predict what note a passage is going to end on. Although their irregularity might bring inherent difficulty to enjoying the music for some, it's that same aspect that'll cause listeners to pull it off their shelves for repeat listens. To put it in a more identifiable perspective, the smoke alarms just all went off in my home and for some reason, it complimented the music really well. Occasionally utilizing low death metal vocals, Throcult generally stick to a thickly layered and rhythmically sounding rasp. It is incredibly typical for the genre, but solid nonetheless. Furious unconventional riffing and vicious vocals aside, the drumming is meticulous and blasting without being rigid - it's like a machine with a soul. Machine-like as drummer David Csicsely may be, he's able to play slower and more moody parts, like on "Through The Fog Of War", which takes a recess from their merciless buzzing to provide some atmosphere using an acoustic guitar played under dissonant ringing chords. One of the bigger triumphs of the album, the skilled basswork, is completely audible - thanks to the talented production of Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Serberus, Excommunion).
For those of you who can't or simply don't appreciate the stiff homogeneity of most black metal, Throcult may be worth your time to check out. However, despite their continual efforts to maintain a distinct sound, it's still going to sound a little bland and baseless to inexperienced listeners. For every like-minded reader on this site who favors extreme black metal with great production, you should definitely keep your eyes and ears open for Stormbringer, Conjuration of the Nighthorde.
