DROUTH is a Death/Black Metal band hailing from the Pacific Northwest of the USA, particularly in the Portland, Oregon area. “The Teeth of Time” is the band’s third full-length album, and it has five songs. “Hurl Your Thunderbolt Even Unto Death” is first, and the opening tones are gentle, and melodic, but also solemn, and as a listener, you are not prepared for the fast and aggressive riff that follows. The sound is deeply contentious, and thick. “False Grail” comes out of the gate with a heavy, fast, and thick sound, and it burns a trail in the ground. It also sounds like the marching troops of the undead rising out of hell and headed to war on earth.

The title track is another aggressive offering, but it is not without some well-crafted, solemn melodies, and thick, meaty bass guitar parts. Many of the tones are just as despondent as they are angry, and the two play very well with each other. “Through a Glass, Darkly” is indeed a darker offering. You can feel it start to settle in like it does when the sun goes down at night, and what often emerges in the darkness is the magic of legends and dreams. It moves like a thunderstorm in the night, dropping deluges of water and lighting the sky with streaks of lightning, and claps of thunder. “Exult, Ye Flagellant” is the final cut, and the opening tones are as desolate as the frozen tundra of the north. A contentious sound follows, akin to a burning fire trying to melt the ice. The two styles continue to battle until both are dead.

This was an excellent album. The songs were meticulously crafted, thick, aggressive, and dark…everything you would want from a Black Metal album. But, this isn’t the usual FWOBM release. Their intense aggression is bested only by their intricate songwriting.