The morbidly-titled third release and first full-length from Gilbert, Arizona, natives Drone Throne shows the band having undergone some distinct stylistic growth. Everybody Dies Alone is a self-released 12-track collection of sludge that, at times, is primitive to the point of regression. The most notable physical change in Drone Throne is the addition of the rhythm section of Andrew Leemont on bass/vocals and Taylor Kienzle on drums. Former drummer Alex Bank Rollins now joins Garrett Ranous on vocals and guitar, and the shift in personnel shows itself both in the interaction of the two guitars and in the heft of the rhythms and grooves supporting. Everybody Dies Alone manages to weave influences from latter day Darkthrone and Sleep’s Holy Mountain-era Sleep into its primal stew, balancing the simplistic nature of its forebears with the difficulties in making a cohesive singularity from them. Songs like “Bud Clot” and “Stone Dome” quickly mark out an ugly, crusty territory, while “Black Lung” relies more on rolling riffs and fog-headed groove to convey its stonerly vibes. Rollins and Ranous toy with some classic metal melodicism on “Dead Weight” (they seem to be feeling their way through several different styles throughout), but the bulk of Everybody Dies Alone is dedicated to short and abrasive bursts of sludge-punk chicanery.

A rough self-production job (also in the spirit of Darkthrone) doesn’t hurt the songs, but vocals high in the mix early in the album takes some getting used to, especially because of the distorted-shouty nature of the approach. “Black Lung” gets Everybody Dies Alone under way following the “Iron Man”-esque beginnings of aptly-named intro, “Intro.” Joining Ranous and Rollins (and Leemont ) in mix-prominence is Kienzle’s snare, which dominates more than best serves “Bud Clot” and “Greens.” The inclination, though, is to let that kind of thing go. Drone Throne clearly haven’t set out to make a shining production of a record, and while it’s important nonetheless to keep things in balance with each other, however harsh you might want them to sound, it almost becomes a contributing factor to Everybody Dies Alone’s ridiculous charm. The first four tracks’ punk-ish thrust slams head-first into the Sleep-y groove of “Dead Weight,” which cops the riff of “Dragonaut” into a lead line that forms the crux of the song. Drone Throne make it work, and “Dead Weight,” though immediately familiar, introduces the strongest stretch of the album. Gang chants in the chorus maintain the punk spirit, and as “Dead Weight” gives way to “Fatal Rips From the North,” Drone Throne pull off their most impressive shift from stoner rock to black metal. One has to wonder what exactly the band knows about “the North” being from the sandy Southwest in Arizona, but I’ll definitely give them the “Fatal Rips” part, and their Darkthrone-styled simplicity takes a complex idea and makes it sound effortless. The multiple layers of vocals (screams, shouts, etc.) underscore the song’s extremity, and the guitar work shows surprising versatility. Perhaps what makes the track, though, is when Leemont’s bass comes to the fore for a break and clean vocals result in a nod to Om before the final chorus.

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I know Arizona‘s a bit of a hot topic right now, what with the fascism and all, but Gilbert natives Drone Throne sent me their demo a little while back saying they liked the site, so if I was boycotting it (I wasn’t, because the idea of boycotting a state is stupid), I’ll cross the picket line for this. Call me a scab, but Drone Throne‘s fuck-all sludge is nasty enough that I’m pretty sure no one would even try to hit me with a cardboard sign. Normal people are terrified of this stuff.

A trio comprised of Garrett Ranous on guitar and vocals, Alex Bank Rollins on drums and vocals and Brian Bank Rollins on bass, Drone Throne has been around for roughly two years, and their fiery take on sludge shows an immediacy for it. Tracks from the demo like “Skatin’ with Satan” and “Getting High at the Gates of Hell,” both streamable on the band’s MySpace, are definitely lo-fi, but there’s something about the buzzsaw guitar tone that just makes everything sound that much dirtier and heavier. It’s like Drone Throne‘s sludge is made of previously chewed desert sand.

Both their self-titled demo and their split with Tempe six-piece TOAD have been put out by France‘s Boue Records and are available for purchase. The material on the split is a little cleaner production-wise, but still has plenty of grit. The riffs lead the way and anger follows. Future-type recording plans are a mystery, but Drone Throne will be opening for Zoroaster, Black Tusk and Dark Castle when their tour comes rolling through Arizona on June 22. If you’re in the area, tell them I said hi.