As we all know by now, nu-metal and its various cranium thumping offshoots are now a humungous global entity thanks to gigantic power chords resonating everywhere from Columbia to Carlow. Even though it’s a welcome respite to the dreadful predictability of conveyor-belt pop, like any movement after it gatecrashes into the mainstream it rapidly became as slick, predictable, safe and as cynically marketed as the FM fodder it was trying to usurp in the first place.

Norn Iron’s Throat peddle a very contemporary line of pop hardcore – big chords, big drums, big music and volume cranked to 11. No track meanders past four and half minutes and songs crash straight into the next with barely a pause for breath or composure. Throat combine brooding introspection, anger, a razor sharp wit and enough energy to power the six counties several times over with ‘Charlie Su’, ‘Circus Trick’ and the awesome hollered chorus of ‘Sonny’s Hired Killer’ standing out miles ahead the rest of the crap metal pack.

Not exactly the kind of thing I’d usually opt for my domestic soundtrack, hence rockers, rappers, hip-hoppers, metalers and mentalists of all persuasions should sit up and listen up. As healthy as our homegrown scene is, we need a lot more red hot rock action served with our acoustic/alt-country/lo-fi troubadours for a more balanced listening diet. Hence, Throat are exactly what the hard rock doctor ordered.