Review: “Take Cover” by Throwdown

Six years after 2014’s “Intolerance“, the last album from Orange County California’s Throwdown made its appearance, a compilation of previously released cover songs has been released via Pit Viper Records. The tracks each have their own story behind them and at each turn there have been a collection of other covers that the band played live that never made the studio grade. So this review is part review, part history lesson and part nostalgia trip with some insightful notes from vocalist Dave Peters himself as this could well be the last output from this band that ever comes to be.

First point of note with this compilation is that it’s in reverse order in terms of chronology and the second is that with their are two eras of the band with only Dave Peters himself being on all of the tracks, the irony of that being that he wasn’t in the first incarnation of the band. Throwdown started out in 1997, founded by Eighteen Visions guitarist Keith Barney, who was the original vocalist, they signed to Indecision Records and released their debut “Beyond Repair” in 1999. A raft of early lineup changes saw former Eighteen Visions guitarist Brandan Schieppati spend two years in the band before leaving to create Bleeding Through and also former Eighteen Visions guitarist Dave Peters join on guitars. The new line up recorded an EP entitled “Drive Me Dead” in the year 2000. Roll on a year and the bands sophomore release “You Don’t Have to Be Blood to Be Family” during those sessions also recorded a track for Radical Records compilation “Too Legit for the Pit: Hardcore Takes the Rap”. That makes the 5th track on this EP, “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot. It’s a brutal, tongue in cheek hilarious take on the track with an early Metalcore sound that simply crushes. It’s instant groove instantly rewarding and it just makes you crack a smile as soon as it hits. Barney’s vocals are harsh but he carries the lines perfectly. As Dave Peters explains: “We almost did House of Pain “Jump Around” and even learned and rehearsed it I think. I can’t remember why we opted for “Baby Got Back” instead, probably just because it was more ridiculous and we wanted to make sure no one took it seriously. I wouldn’t say anyone now who was in the band back then, including me, regrets having done this cover. But bands don’t really want to be known for a cover. A lot of people knew and know us for this cover, though, and it’s kind of fun really. I think 2 or 3 people at a fest in Belgium as recently as 2015 shouted it out between songs. Never fails. We played the song live probably less than ten times— once was at Hellfest in Upstate NY. A six-foot inflatable penis was passed around the crowd. And I feel like, as a band, that’s one of those things that you should aspire to achieve“.

Fast forward to 2007 and the Orange County Californians fifth studio album “Venom & Tears“, recorded with Producer Mudrock (Godsmack, Chimaira, Eighteen Visions) in Los Angeles. The bands previous album “Vendetta” had seen the band begin a style shift from Metallic Hardcore to Groove Metal which continuted into this one as the band recorded versions of “Planets Collide” by New Orleans Sludge Metal legends Crowbar and “Propaganda” by Brazilian Metallers Sepultura in the sessions. The former was released on a double A side 7″ vinyl called “Covered In Venom” in August with the album dropping in the December, while the later appeared on Japanese, European, Australian and New Zealand versions of the album itself, exclusively via iTunes. The Crowbar cover very much sowed the seed for what the bands follow up album in 2009’s “Deathless” would be like, offering a paint by numbers powerhouse rendition of a timeless track that also gave vocalist Dave Peters the opportunity to show off his extended vocal range. The Sepultura cover is an interesting choice as the band had included a particularly punchy rendition of “Roots Bloody Roots” on South American tours between 2006 and 2007 of which some primitive bootleg footage is available on the internet. Their version of “Propaganda” sees the song benefit from modernization in terms of production and studio recording quality, sounding razor sharp. Rumour has it that Max Cavalera himself heard this version and it paved the way for Peters to make a guest vocal appearance on “Unleash” on the Soulfly album “Conquer” in 2008. Cavalera said “To work with David was a trip. The song’s a full assault, and it feels really natural. It’s got that uncompromising attitude.”

Also included on the “Covered In Venom” Vinyl was a version of The Misfits classic “London Dungeon” which had been previously released in October 2006 on the “Trustkill Takeover Vol. II” compilation album. A Metal version of the track inked by Glenn Danzig which paved the way for Throwdown to play some support slots for Danzig’s solo outfit. Last but not least comes “Becoming” by Pantera which Metal Hammer Magazine declared, “Throwdown kick out the heaviest and most stomping metal… Proudly and defiantly keeping the memory (and sound) of Pantera alive and kicking.” when it appeared as part of a tribute to late Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott on a compilation given away with the Magazine back in 2009. But as good as it is, it wasn’t the first choice. Throwdown had been playing a Hardcore version of “A New Level” every night on tours, we believe prior to the tragic death of Dimebag in December 2004 in Columbus Ohio. It was even part of their set when they played Download Festival with Dave Peters famously stating that it would remain in the bands set in tribute to their fallen hero. However Five Finger Death Punch beat them to the *ahem* punch when it came to choosing the track for the compilation and the rest is history. Overall a killer compilation of songs already released and spanning the bands entire career, only possible because Throwdown recently regained control of the master recordings of a trio of their albums in 2003’s “Haymaker“, 2005’s “Vendetta” and 2007’s “Venom & Tears“, all of which are now available everywhere that you would like to find them via their own, newly-founded Pit Viper Records [8/10]

Track listing

1. “Becoming” (Pantera cover)
2. “Propaganda” (Sepultura cover)
3. “London Dungeon” (Misfits cover)
4. “Planets Collide” (Crowbar cover)
5. “Baby Got Back” (Sir Mix-A-Lot cover)

“Take Cover” by Throwdown is out now via Pit Viper Records and is available over at bandcamp