Milk White Throat – Self Titled EP

By RingMaster Review on August 16, 2011 • ( 0 )

With their self titled EP Brighton band Milk White Throat bring a unique and impressive blend of flavours and influences that are transformed into their own distinct array of inspired ideas and sounds. Across the five tracks the sextet show a band confident and determined to make music they want to hear, their passion oozing out of the release from every track.

The band are listed as progressive rock but their creative music brings so much more than that, the elements of metal, hardcore and death metal making a heady mix of distinct power and originality. The technical skill of the band consisting of Tom Humphrey (guitar/vocals), Tom Bates (guitar), Will Gardner (saxophone/vocals), Gareth Harwood (keyboard), Guillaume Croizon (drums), and Brian Thomas (bass/vocals) adds a math rock spice into the brew too resulting in an intelligent and individual sound.

The EP opens with the ten minute epic ‘Home’, entering on a lingering hypnotic drum beat, guitars probe and play as they expand into an equal mix of crushing riffs and expressive progressive meanderings. With a taste of Unearth, At The Drive-In and Pain Of Salvation the song is a glorious journey of creativity from the band, a clever hybrid of styles fused into intelligent songwriting.

‘Mother I’ the following track is an emotive song in lyrical content and sound. Carrying a soulful progressive flow not out of place within a Mars Volta release the song punches relentlessly with driving riffs and forceful bass and drum rhythms. It plays eagerly on the ear perfectly combining diverse melodies and attacking surges of power. As with the first track it is a joy to engage with music that has its own distinction and exceptional individuality.

The power comes harder with ‘On The Road’, the harmonious dual energy of aggression and melodic inspiration the evidence of quality song creation and realisation by an emerging band with an extremely positive future. The song has a touch of Letlive to it but as in all the references given it is a mere spice and the tracks themselves as mentioned uniquely Milk White Throat.

‘Still’ closes the EP with the same sense of an epic as the opener in length and feel. Starting with a slow melodic amble and instilling a soaring ambience the song floats around the senses before slamming down hard with intense aggressive vocals and probing guitar manipulations. It does not have the direct assertive ferocity of earlier tracks but it has equal effect in its impressive construct and senses touching power.

Milk White Throat are on the verge of a band about to trigger mass awareness if there is any sense in music, their EP showing an already impressive ability and skill in song writing and bringing it to their audiences and suggests there is much more yet to come as the band develops and evolves. Do yourselves a favour and find out how great they are now rather than later when you will be hearing them everywhere.

RingMaster 16/08/2011