Welcome to the latest edition of “Freeloader” in which we review albums that you don’t have to feel like a douche for downloading for free. Today Satan Rosenbloom checks out three recent releases from Throatruiner Records.

Just because you’re offering your music for free doesn’t mean that presentation is unimportant. French label Throatruiner Records understands this better than most. Their press materials are thorough and totally professional, the bands they are all quality, they offer all of their albums for free download, and insist on awesome packaging to incentivize actual purchase. Since Throatruiner give us the goods gratis, we’re dedicating an entire installment of Freeloader to them.

As We Draw – Lines Breaking Circles

I washed my hands of “post-metal” long before Isis broke up. What began as a new way of writing songs, with process at the fore instead of structure, devolved into empty stylistic signifiers and soporific build-ups. As We Draw do it different. The French three-piece has some guitar atmospherics and climactic moments in common with yer Rosettas and Cults of Luna, but they offer a far more energized, varied take on post-metal than most of their contemporaries. The band uses its three-piece lineup smartly, making guitars subservient to the rhythm section on songs like “Shield” and “Draft,” pitting textured guitars in opposition to anchoring bass in “Shield” and “Drowned in Flames,” massing their vocals into gruff gang chants on “Sin of Addiction” and “Scum of the Earth.” Parts remind me of Cave-In’s Jupiter, parts remind me of ‘90s screamo. All reminds me of stuff I will listen to again.

(4 horns up)

Get it free here.

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We’ve gotten as many emails about French post-hardcore/metal outfit As We Draw over the past month as we received about Journal, so it’s about time I showed them a little love. I haven’t been into post-hardcore lately as much as I was a few years ago, but this trio of 21-year olds shows a helluva lot of promise.

They’re At The Drive In for the ’10s but without the emo-y vocals, alternately crushing and artsy with both fits of hardcore rage and post-metal soundscapery. Their songs are just straight-forward enough to follow but just technical enough to keep things from sounding stale, a tough balance to strike. They’ve got a really good mix of sounds that seems suited to please most metal fans, and what’s more their new album is completely self-recorded.

Their debut album Lines Breaking Circles just came out via Throatruiner Records; you can listen to two songs on their MySpace to see what I’m talking about, and then since I’m pretty sure you’ll be impressed you can go on and download the entire album for free right here.

-VN