Out of nowhere, i woke up with an incredibly sore throat ; hurts when i talk, breathe or eat and feels very swollen, extremely painful. sense of taste has deteriorated heavily too. there's absolutely no other symptoms of s cold. what's going on?

Some possibilities: New throat pain can be from a strep throat infection (antibiotics are needed), a cold or influenza (antibiotics usually not used), or from some other cause such as allergies or irritants. Usually a person sees the doctor if the sore throat is very painful, recurrent, or doesn't go away quickly (mainly to check for strep throat). Serious trouble with breathing or swallowing would be an emergency.