By the Throat [Vinyl]

Ben Frost | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (June 22, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bedroom Community
• ASIN: B002OLV372
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,825 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

It's impossible to truly classify where he is coming from musically, but it would be safe to say his fans would also have records from Neurosis, Tim Hecker, Sunn O))) & Fennesz in their collection. Where "Theory of Machines" came sterilized in fluorescent light, "By The Throat" is blood red & cloaked in shadow

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exploring the frozen night forest..., December 18, 2009

By 

Charlie Quaker "The Quaker Goes Deaf" (Normal, IL.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: By the Throat (Audio CD)

2nd release from experimental Icelandic artist mixes processed ambient/noise electronics with
animal sounds & other organic sonic sources to create a work that is both subtle & invasive, with
a harrowing aura of dangerous beauty. Think Coil meets Philip Glass, late at night in a dark
forest.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Headphone Commute Review, November 21, 2009

By 

Headphone Commute - See all my reviews

This review is from: By the Throat (Audio CD)

I first listened to Ben Frost when he released his sophomore full length album, Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community back in 2007. I described his music as ambient hardcore - psychologically raw, punishing, and overdriven guitars, with reverberated pads and rhythms that mutate into white noise and back, sending chills that originate deep from within your ear canal and slide down to your toenails. That album left a lasting impression on me. Enough to select it as one of the best albums of the year. I didn't think that Theory Of Machines could be outdone... That is... until I put on By The Throat. While listening to Theory Of Machines, I compared Frost's sound to that of an angry furry armadillo, creeping up the inside of my legs with a cold long needle, leaving me drenched in sweat. And with this latest installment, the chills rise up my spine and hold me, in perpetual, electric shock. The cover art alone puts into my mind the images of my final moments, lying naked on the snow, steam rising from the breath of a hungry wolf, his teeth sunk into my throat. And the track titles do not let up. Through The Glass Of The Roof, Through The Roof Of Your Mouth, Through The Mouth Of Your Eye. And the music? Dark grinding metallic strings scratched through distorted pads, deep breaths, growls, and choking melodies. The intensity of the bass and guitar riffs create instant goose bumps, tickling the inside of my ears, and clawing at my chest. White knuckled at the seat, I think I accidentally scratched a healing scab off of my back and now I'm bleeding through this white collar shirt, the tie restricting my cries. Let me out! I've heard some dark and terrifying ambiance in my lifetime, but Frost's onslaught is incredible. I stand applauding. And the production? We've got top notch mastering going on here, with perfectly sampled strings played with dry bows over thumping kick, and rising voices. With contributions from Jeremy Gara of The Arcade Fire, Icelandic quartet Amiina, Swedish grindcore band Crowpath, and of course, the classical touch of Nico Muhly the roster of artists is exciting alone. Oh, and did I mention that it was co-produced by Valgeir Siguršsson? It was created under the cloak of nocturnal snow in the far northern reaches of financial-fantasy island, a concept borne of Frost and weapons manufacturer, war monger and evil genius Sruli Recht, captured by the all-seeing-eye of Bjarni Gríms and forged in the fires of hell by Rebeca Mendéz... Frost's music is all about contrast - merging beautiful classical minimalism with the dirty grind of metal and drone core. This combination is unsettling to the mind, refusing to split in half and choose between the genres. Born in Australia, Frost is now living in Reykjavik, Iceland - home of the above mentioned artists, and of course Siguršsson's acclaimed Bedroom Community label. His debut solo album, titled Steel Wound, was released on Room40 in 2003. There's also a two-track digital EP, released together with Lawrence English, titled Anyone Can Play... Anyone Can Sing (Dreamland, 2004). In 2007, Frost released Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community, and spent the next two years cooped up to dream up this nightmare. Let me restate my earlier conviction: By The Throat is even better than Theory Of Machines - a feat I thought impossible to bear. This is the music of suspense. The terror of the unknown. The ethereal melody at the end of the tunnel that gets cemented off a few inches away from your desperate crawl. The piano keys expand and shrink with pressure, and the white and black chip off and vanish. The tension ends with the last track, and although you can exhale, you want to feel the angst again. You want to feel. You want to feel...

5.0 out of 5 stars METAWolves: BY THE THROAT, November 25, 2011

By 

Zachary (UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By the Throat (Audio CD)

All you have to do is close your eyes while you listen to this, and you will see something. Every time I listen, it's a new experience; it's terrifying and beautiful. I am seriously convinced that Ben Frost actually recorded images and turned their waves into sound, because that's how sharp the pictures are in my mind while I listen. And each sound grips you-- it is not hard to fall into this music.

If there is one album I could recommend to anyone, I think it would be this one. It's not an "easy" listening experience by pop music standards, but it's easy to be captured by it. I, in my slumbering lifetime, have listened to nothing I can compare it to in sheer density, beauty, and immersion.