Throttlerod
Nail

July 2006
Released: 2006, Small Stone Records
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Crown jewel of the Small Stone Record roster (as far as I’m concerned anyway!), newly Virginia-based Throttlerod finally return after a long three year wait between full-lengths! I gave their last album a perfect 5/5 in November of ’03, so to say I was awaiting their next disc with great anticipation would be an understatement. I was virtually salivating at the chance to hear new music from these guys! Some background: The band’s previous album, HELL AND HIGH WATER is a monolith of Southern metal, standing tall above all comers. That’s really all you need to know.

Upon hearing NAIL’s opening salvo, “Prizefighter”, it is obvious that changes are afoot in the Throttlerod camp. Whether it was the loss of founding member Bo Leslie I don’t know, but something really has these guys pissed off in 2006. Such aural vitriol is usually unheard of in Southern-styled music. Then again, Throttlerod have never been a conventional band. The anger continues throughout the disc, highlighting the fact that this is easily the heaviest disc the band has ever recorded. They claimed to have gone back to their metal roots, and that’s easily heard throughout the disc.

Whether influenced by metal or rock, the one thing that has always kept Throttlerod on top is the band’s ability to write fucking excellent music. Seriously, I’ve yet to hear a bad song from these guys. Case in point: NAIL might be out to beat the shit out of you, but you will enjoy it nonetheless. Through it all, the band keeps that inimitable down home feeling, and while not stoner rock, you get the feeling these are guys who would be right at home in some filthy swamp.

Whatever the case, it comes down to the music, and Throttlerod write some of the best out there. Stop reading and just fucking buy it.