FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…
13 years ago today, Throwdown released one of my “undying” favorites and, no matter what you make of Throwndown, (like them or hate them…) there is no denying that they released one helluva riff-heavy, groove-laden, fist-pounder! - E.N. Wells
On November 10, 2009, Throwdown released their sixth full-length studio album Deathless in the US via E1 Music.
It was later released on January 22, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records in Europe, and January 25, 2010 in the UK, also through Nuclear Blast Records. Deathless is the first album by Throwdown released through E1 (formerly Koch Records) and Nuclear Blast since the band switched from Trustkill Records at the end of 2008.
Background:
In February 2009, Throwdown played at the second annual MusInk Festival in Orange County, supporting Danzig and The Used.
In the Spring, Throwdown began recording with Mudrock (who previously recorded Venom & Tears) in Los Angeles. The new album featured Peters, Choiniere, Mitchell, and session drummer Alexander. The album was mixed by Zeuss, who had produced and mixed Vendetta.
They spent September and October touring Europe with Chimaira and Unearth, with Living Sacrifice drummer Lance Garvin behind the kit.
Following the November 10, 2009 release, Throwdown headlined the Deathless Tour across America in November and December, with support from Bury Your Dead, For Today, ABACABB, and The World We Knew, again with the lineup of Peters, Choiniere, Mitchell, and Garvin.
In December, the band announced they would join Five Finger Death Punch and Shadows Fall on a lengthy U.S. tour set for January and February 2010. However, without a permanent replacement for Dussault, Choiniere opted to bow out of Throwdown roughly two weeks before the start of the tour. Throwdown dropped out of the tour and was replaced on the bill by the band God Forbid.
In October 2011, Throwdown headlined a short West Coast trek dubbed Brawloween. The lineup was Peters and Mitchell with Demon Hunter drummer Tim "Yogi" Watts and then-Bleeding Through guitarist Dave Nassie filling in. Support for the shows included Carnifex, First Blood, and Suffokate.
Performance & Critical Reception:
Deathless reached No. 26 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart on November 28, 2009, and stayed on the chart for one week.
Deathless received positive to mixed reviews from critics. Some critics praised Throwdown for changing the sound from their previous Hardcore Punk sound, other critics did not like their decision to change their sound to a more Groove Metal sound. Most critics agreed that Throwdown had moved to a more Pantera-sounding style. Some, however, even likened the band's new sound to groups such as Godsmack and Mudvayne.
In his review for AllMusic, Phil Freeman gave a positive and yet, somewhat backhanded review, stating;
“Throwdown have had to eat a lot of crap in recent years because their vocalist, Dave Peters, is doing such a blatant, idolatrous imitation of Pantera/Down vocalist Phil Anselmo. It doesn't help that with 2005's Vendetta they shifted from the thick-necked, straight-edge hardcore of their early catalog to a version of the "groove metal" practiced by Pantera, Trivium, and other modern metal bands. On this latest album, though, Peters occasionally shifts from imitating Anselmo to imitating Anselmo-imitating- Mudvayne's Chad Gray.
The music, too, has a lot of Mudvayne's combination of groove and progressive epic-ness, coupled with Pantera's ultra-punishing, almost industrial riffs. So it seems like Throwdown are attempting to make some sort of crossover to mainstream metal success, and maybe even get a track on rock radio with the album opener The Scythe, which features a clean chorus, or The Blinding Light, which finds these Orange County boys attempting a Southern rock swagger -- Peters has moved from the Pantera phase to the Down phase of his Anselmo impersonation. Widowed is basically a power ballad, verging on Alice in Chains' territory. Deathless proves that Throwdown have more sides to them than previous albums may have indicated. However, everything they do has been done before, and better, by others.”
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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