Review: “The Colorless Light of Emptiness” by Throes

A further foray into themes of loss, grief, self-hatred, corruption, climate collapse and human fragility “The Colorless Light of Emptiness” by Boise, Idaho based quartet Throes is the culmination of twelve years of contemplation as for them time spent seeking cathartic release in moments of crushing sonic weight is essential for survival. If there previous burnt offering in 2019’s “In the Hands of an Angry God” is anything to go by, their tradition of confronting bleak emotional landscapes with dissonant punishing sonic intensity with influences from Sludge fuelled Doom Metal and Metallic Hardcore is one that will be upheld. After all with their reputations, what else are bassist Liam Sliney, guitarist Kasey Richardson, drummer and vocalist Morgan Mechling alongside guitarist and vocalist Phillip Davis going to do with their time?

This journey down the left hand path begins with the bludgeoning that is “Western Violence“, a cut which builds tension with sinister riffs and feedback before the war drums begin pound the soundtrack to complete annihilation. In a similar vein to recent offerings by Armed For Apocalypse it has a gritty, personal lyrical narrative which resonates because sometimes you have to fight for your life against all the odds in order to survive. Their are flavours of Will Haven in the Noise Metal that is “Revenge Death“, the bass brought forward in the mix so you can hear it like a second guitar in the wall of noise the quartet create. That’s a thing of dark beauty as it fuels the fire of the chugging, distorted riffs and the bands cathartic rhythms become almost hypnotic. If you were expecting a ray of sunshine to pierce the black clouds from “Joy” then guess again because this one is about having had joy ripped away from you as you wake up as miserable as sin. This is real pain, these are real tears, the fists are clenched in violent anguish and the nails are digging into the skin until it bleeds. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, the swirling down tuned riffage providing a barbed assault on the senses that matches the vocal tirade stride for stride.

Increasing the tempo and intensity with urgent aggression “Eat Glass” hits like a freight train, gravity blasting and huge cymbal crashes driving things forward with a tip of the hat to bands like Crowbar. The bass line is so heavy it registers as seismic activity, the sheer weight and gravity of the lyrical narrative drawing you into the rhythmic bludgeoning. Who needs a blistering solo or some eerie keys when you have substance over style? Ripping, pulling and tearing from all angles “Ape/Person/Animal/Human” has a churn and burn about it that will make you snap your neck to the bands punishing grooves. Its just so damn heavy that it stirs the soul, the material at potent as it gets without making you drink poison until you become immune.

A mournful melancholic melody rises to the surface as “Spiritual Debt” takes shape, the title befitting of its transgressions as the instrumental leans on Post-Hardcore influences before a savage single verse in the final moments decimates the weak and thins the herd. It’s that colossal finale that makes the track and will keep you coming back for more as nuances in the instrumental crawl out of the woodwork like termites over repeated listens. Angular, muscular, dirge laden guitars give life to “The Line” which pushes the band in the direction of A Life Once Lost while the vocals on this one reach a whole new level of pain. On the earlier cuts they’re caustic but on this one they’re throat splitting as if it means more and that’s saying something given how bleak the record is as a whole.

Another which resonates is the vicious and venomous “Pain“, a seething, self loathing ball of fury which reaches poly rhythmic madness that borders on mathcore at points. The way its been put together is impressive because while it sounds in keeping with the rest of the record, it stands apart with some seriously spine juddering moments. A punishment beating from start to bitter end “Beg” has a malevolence about it quite unlike anything else, the sonic weight feeling like a boa constrictor as it squeezes the air out from your lungs before crushing you to death. There was never going to be a power ballad as a grand finale to this record and in all honesty “Basura” actually sounds like a great summary piece for the album with a bit of everything that it has to offer wrapped into one single easy to swallow moment. The thing about “The Colorless Light of Emptiness” is that its as gripping as a good suspense laden physiological horror movie. You might want to look away but you can’t put it down until its over [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Western Violence
2. Revenge Death
3. Joy
4. Eat Glass
5. Ape/Person/Animal/Human
6. Spiritual Debt
7. The Line
8. Pain
9. Beg
10. Basura

“The Colorless Light of Emptiness” by Throes is out 16th October 2026 via Church Road Records and is available over at bandcamp