Meet Wild Throne, the alt.rock square pegs on a mission to rule the world

A press shot of Wild Throne taken in 2016, they are stood outside on a beach

We live in times when so- called alternative rock often seems about as challenging as a cheese sandwich. As a result, Wild Throne could well be that vexed genre’s true saviours. Formed in the small town of Bellingham in Washington State, USA, this fiery, multi-faceted trio have resurrected the explosive, post-hardcore spirit of bands like At The Drive-In and Refused and infused it with the untamed curiosity of classic progressive rock and the ball-jangling oomph of metal. Theirs is a wild and exhilarating assault on the senses, and one that grew from a simple love of making a weird racket.

“We came up with each other playing mostly in fucked-up, instrumental, throwing-all-the-paint-at-the-wall music!” laughs singer and guitarist Josh Holland. “We wanted to play as aggressive and fast as possible. Then we started getting into old 70s prog rock and started experimenting, but with a more traditional song structure. That was the model for Wild Throne, to keep the aggression and spontaneity, but to focus it.”

Wild Throne’s EP, Blood Maker, set out the band’s stall across four bursts of mutant rock antagonism, while their debut album, Harvest Of Darkness, looks set to cause a huge stir when it emerges this autumn, not least due to the involvement of legendary producer Ross Robinson, who has wrung every drop of fire and passion from these young sonic hoodlums.

“Ross gets those kinds of performances out of people – that raw, emotional delivery,” says Josh. “He has a way of pushing you into places, to confront uncomfortable things. He was the perfect match.”

A much-needed eruption of originality and intensity, Wild Throne’s deranged but eminently accessible assault instantly stands out from everything else that’s going on at heavy rock’s fringes.

“What we do doesn’t fit anywhere and I like that,” the frontman states. “That’s what people who like us like about it, too. We don’t fit. It’s a pretty confrontational album. If you’re a fan of heavy music, you’ll either love it or loathe it, and I’m OK with that!”

Alt.Rock Round-up: July 2016

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