Review: A Throne For Thieves – 2013 Rough Demo
Artist: A Throne For Thieves
Album: Demo (2013)
Rating: 6.5/10
Track List:
1. Rain (Intro)
2. The Hopeless
3. Torn
4. Sugar (S.O.A.D Cover)
Starting from one of the birth places of metal in the US, California, A Throne For Thieves have are out to prove that they have the skills to make it in the metal scene. Being a big fan of demos, I was pretty pleased when Brandon, their lead guitarist, messaged me asking me to review it. Now, as far as demos go, this is about as raw as it gets. But if you like that type of sound, you will definitely enjoy this demo and what makes it better than a sick ass cover of “Sugar” by System of a Down?
When I heard this, I was immediately intrigued. Most people are either fans of covers or not, there’s no in between, I found myself entranced by this one almost immediately when I heard that riff before the chorus. They add in a little extra flavor towards the end with a pretty sick breakdown when “How do I feel? What do I say? Fuck you, it all goes away!” comes in, ending the track and the demo. I only talked about this track first because, to me, it was a very bold move and I commend them on a job well-done. Now for the other 3 tracks:
The intro (Rain) is, as most are, completely instrumental but it brings the demo together in a way no other intro would.
When you’re jolted into “The Hopeless”, you feel the need to headbang and mosh your ass off. As far as the overall togetherness of the track, I wasn’t really feeling it that much, but it’s a decent track, don’t get me wrong. It’s very heavy and in your face, making it a great attempt at what the band aimed to do here, which was give people a taste of what they sound like.
The next song, “Torn” is my favorite out of the 4 tracks and, surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the incredibly spine-tingling intro. It’s because you can feel that, even though the track is short, they threw everything they had into this track. The vocals are raw, yet resonate with power and the riffs are pretty unforgettable.
Final Thoughts:
I’m not gonna sit here and say this is a horrible demo, nor will I say it’s great. I will, however, say that it definitely accomplishes what the band was trying to do. It will give fans a good taste of what to expect and I believe, that with continued practice, the next taste we get will blow us away.
