THROTTLEROD (Hell And High Water) CD
Congratulations, because THROTTLEROD have done a big step forward with the new album. Their debut "Eastbound & Down", released by Underdogma Records in 2000, was more a compilation of the first material. It was an ambitious authentic album, but for my taste with a lack of variety in it. After their excellent contribution to the "Sucking The 70's" compilation on Small Stone Records, where they injected the Ram Jam hit "Black Betty" with fresh energy, they directely signed with the label. After a few line-up changes, the band was ready to record a new album, and the result is such a positive surprise, that I can't really believe my ears, and I think that I have strongly underrated this band. There's still a strong boogie and country blues influence, but they have customized it with tons of convincing ideas. Sometimes, it sounds as if Tool would play some kind of ZZ Top, or Soundgarden jam together with Karma To Burn, but however I describe them, THROTTLEROD are an ultra-tight riff-laden blues driven R'n'R machine, but in opposite to other bands in this genre, this band got an amount of clever ideas. Fortunately, this guys have the skills to write "real" songs, and put them together to a "real" album, though guitarist and lead-vocalist Matt Whitehead is responsible for nearly 99% of the here included songs.Good, that he isn't lost in only one pattern. "Hell And High Water" is a very good album, and I hope it will open more doors for THROTTLEROD.
(KK)