Review: Throwdown - Vendetta

artist: throwdown album: vendetta label: trustkill records released: 2005 by: rob tatum For a band that started as a joke and used to sing about straight edge all the time, Throwdown certainly has grown up. It’s hard to say if it’s for the better though. For fans that loved the unrelenting breakdowns and direct approach that was seen on the early releases, Vendetta, much like its predecessor, Haymaker, will leave a sour taste in your mouth. For everyone else, this album shows Throwdown trying to progress musically and mature as songwriters. The trouble with Vendetta is that the structures cripple the quality of the songs. Sure, the worn out verse, chorus, verse, breakdown, chorus repetition is long gone, but it hasn’t exactly been replaced by anything groundbreaking. I give them credit for straying from repetition. There are fewer breakdowns, and if anything, I would call them bridges now, because they don’t have the same effect as they once did. Vocalist Dave Peters has really expanded his vocal range, but unfortunately for Throwdown, it sounds like a bad Pantera impression. He has a strong voice, but the uncanny resemblance to Phil Anselmo hurts my ability to appreciate it properly. Musically, it’s still Throwdown. Maybe the loss of a guitarist hurt the punishing feel that was once felt when listening to this band, but I would almost call this hard rock rather than hardcore. The musicianship is nearly identical to Haymaker, but it is apparent that there was more effort and time put into the songwriting process. If Haymaker lit your fire, then Vendetta will impress the hell out of you. For the rest of us, it is a solid album and not a bad listen, but it really makes me miss the intensity of You Don’t Have to Blood to be Family. “Future of Metal?” Not quite. favorite song: "the world behind" rating: 84%/100% listen to throwdown