Recently, I met up with an old friend to catch up on life and basically shoot the shit. So we are hanging out, and he orders a dirty martini with a specific gin and also a specific garnish request. (Yeah, we are those two old guys from the muppets…look it up) I was like, “Dude, for how many years are you gonna order the same exact thing?!”
He sits back, smiles, and says, “I know what I like, it makes me feel good, and it’s dependable.” So with those fabled words, dear readers, I give you Cutthroat and their debut EP.
To continue with the cocktail theme for a bit, and that venerated staple of the cocktail world, Cutthroat offers much in the same vein. Strong, intense, and when done right, deeply satisfying. Cutthroat doesn’t offer much in the way of subtleties, and I truly think they want it that way. Just look at that logo and the cover art. Grim and raw, and very much old-school, much like the music itself. This is straight and to-the-point Death/Thrash. Albeit with a slight underlying catchiness as well. Which completely sounds at odds with my aforementioned description of the band. You will hear for yourselves that when listening to ‘Invoking Terror ‘. It all comes across as early Morbid Angel via Nifelheim. It’s chaotic, its rambunctious in that flying by the seat of your pants kinda way. All the while tho, it does have that sense of structure. While not quite in the realm of being able to skip along and hum to it. You will have to readily agree that there is that little something that sort of latches into your brain and stays there even after the EP is over.
With only 5 tracks contained on this, just under 25 minutes of a bombshell, it can whiz right by you. I speak of this because 2 of the tracks are a bit over 6 minutes and maybe could have been trimmed so as to offer a more cohesive presentation. Yeah, the songs themselves can be redundant for some, but you really do have to appreciate the intensity and almost memorable songwriting. You cannot fault the production either. It keeps everything straight and to the point in clarity and sonic structure. In one of the review tests that I conduct (home, car, headphones), the bass is buried in the mix, but when listening on headphones, it becomes a bit more evident. The drumming should be given note as well. In a further tie-in to the Morbid Angel angle, I felt the presence of Mike Browning (RIP) in his play style.
In your taste for heavier and slightly more intense Death Thrash in the vein of Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Sarcofago and the like, I will say you would not be disappointed in this release.
