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Imagine a band playing the most fresh and modern version of Hardcore-ish Metalcore, having just released an EP and a few singles and being the center of attention of all listeners of the genre and beyond. With approximately 1.5 million listeners on Spotify, music videos that have exceeded 1-2 million views each and slots on the hottest tour lineups and festivals in Europe, Australia and America.
So this band is real and it’s none other than thrown, based in Sweden and consisting of 4 members - Marcus Lundqvist (ex-Grieved), Johan Liljeblad, Andreas Malm, Buster Odeholm (Humanity’s Last Breath , Vildhjarta). The ingredients of success are fully brought out by the German record label Arising Empire who have the band at the center of promotion since their very first single, “Grayout”(2021), a move that seems to have already paid off as they are in the conversation to be the biggest breakout metal band of the decade.
On August 30, the band is expected to release their first full length album called "EXCESSIVE GUILT", which is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Having already released several singles, the hype surrounding the complete release is constantly at extremely high levels. The debut album consists of 11 songs, 5 of which have already been released as singles and have made each of them a huge success. The 5 singles released so far, about 2 weeks before release, have amassed over 40 million streams on Spotify and their music videos have a combined total of over 4.5 million views on YouTube. The average length of the tracks is around 2 minutes and the total duration of the album is slightly more than 20 minutes. The mix and mastering have been done by the band's drummer and exemplary producer, Buster Odeholm, which raises my expectations and my anticipation to hear the overall result as I am a fan and follower of his work.
The time for the first full spin of the record has finally arrived. The album begins very familiarly as I have heard the first 3 songs (“guilt”, “backfire” and “on the verge”) dozens of times and know every part of them. thrown's music from the very first note grabs you by the face and throws you into your ultimate rage room. There you have 20' to let loose, get angry and enjoy your most extreme hateful thoughts. The first track entitled "guilt", with its characteristic melody at the beginning and the verse "I can't forgive myself for the things I've done", immediately puts you in the mood, and is perhaps the catchiest track of the record and a terrific intro. "backfire" and "on the verge" follow; the short beatdown in the outro of the former tops everything while the latter is one of my favorite tracks on the record. This track was accompanied by an excellent video clip. It is worth mentioning that it has collected the biggest numbers on all streaming platforms already and not without reason. The combination of Hardcore based Metalcore with Nu Metal origins, electronic elements and excellent transitions between the parts of the song make it an easy 10 without a second thought, from the very first listen. Here I will quote a lyric from the song, Marcus screams "Trust me, you don't want to be on my team 'cause I always lose everything that I hold dear", do you need anything else?
Two of the tracks that follow, "bitter friend" and the familiar "look at me" are based more on the electronic sound with some Phonk/Trap-influenced beats matching the best possible way with the aggressive sound of the band. "nights" is clearly the overall heaviest and stormiest track of the release; I could say it's also the one that stood out to me the most for the above reason. Shortly after the middle it drags you into an endless and unbearable beatdown and makes you not want to stop listening to it and headbanging to the rhythm, definitely one of the highlights of the album in my opinion. Next are "dislike" and "ignored" which continue in the same pattern with the heaviest guitar riffs, loving rhythmic parts and some scratches that sneakily pierce from time to time and add something more to the listening experience. "bloodsucker" comes with a more monotonous style and pattern than the previous songs, but extremely aggressive and heavy as befits the record. Finally, "vent" and "so done" come to give an even more tough perspective of thrown. The point where it enters just before the half minute of "vent" with the pauses and the way it evolves with the drop in tempo gives it an increasingly robust style. It's definitely one of the songs that stood out, I love the most and I've been listening to it on repeat since the moment the record arrived in my hands. The closing song is called "so done" and the beatdown in the outro is really the icing on the cake called "EXCESSIVE GUILT".
In conclusion, the album is full of tension and I would confidently say that it is unskippable. The rage that comes out through the music and the pitch-black thoughts perfectly delivered in the lyrics reminds me of feelings I felt when I first heard records like Emmure's "Felony". I believe it will definitely be in the top releases of 2024. The production is flawless, the sound effect corresponds to the flawless performance of the particular sound that is in the spotlight at the moment with main representatives bands such as Knocked Loose, ten56., Alpha Wolf and Dealer. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing how their path develops compositionally and to see them tear down some venue. If I were to use ratings I think I would easily be able to give it a ten out of ten, it is exactly what it should be and a record that will fully satisfy its target audience but also bring more people closer to their sound.
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