ALBUM REVIEW: We Must Leave You – Throat

If impending doom, the end, a change in the times has arrived then THROAT are one of the few groups that saw it coming early. With no intention to grasp at anything hopeful and embracing despair at each and every chance they get the quartet have created an album to be played at humanity’s wake: We Must Leave You. Seven tracks see them delve into dark rock with touches of a gothic and dread-filled mindset; as THROAT see it this is a break-up album between themselves and the rest of us. 

We Must Leave You is sick with simple but remarkable drum beats, building an atmosphere, an energy, a tension that is easy to pick up on — sending you on the first steps down a wretched rabbit hole. Its first two tracks Negative Lite and Heaven Hanged both use a consistent drum to pull you further into their hazy immersion, the latter however emerges into something more satisfying, the crescendo of Heaven Hanged takes the show early on. The Transaction yells lyrics like “When the world is dust” summoning a visual poignancy to sit with you.

It doesn’t take long for THROAT to start painting a complete picture of what they’ve conjured up for this new record; the aesthetic alludes to a coming dread that they know about yet they do nothing to resolve it. Don’t fall over the assumption that THROAT are eager for this or even pleased, there’s a big distinction between that and opting for a retreat from a dying world where all its inhabitants do is destroy each other. Reluctance is in the fibres of We Must Leave You and the overpowering drama that you feel only enhances the emotions. 

Tiny Golden Murder showcases a resounding dissonance and it working in a cohesive way, however contradictory that may be, is something true for the record as a whole. Poignancy, an overarching sense of foreboding, maybe the most melancholic idea possible all induce this existential feeling, contrasted with the occasional section of illumination to bring the clarity of the situation into view. Nobody wants the world to end, THROAT doesn’t either, but We Must Leave You is set in the eleventh hour, drawing closer and closer to midnight you can either panic or do something about it and take action. Where will THROAT end up after the place they cease to exist? Hopefully somewhere that it’s possible to top this record, as hard as it may be.

Rating: 9/10

We Must Leave You is set for release on October 27th via Svart Records.

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