Interview: Throwdown

bst interviews throwdown by rob tatum Recently, bst had the chance to interview Matt Mently, the guitarist of Orange County's Throwdown. We spent some time asking Matt about the band's new album, the resurgance of heavy music, and the Sounds of the Underground tour. The following is a recap of the interview. If you are interested in learning more about and listening to Throwdown, visit the band's official website, and Trustkill Records. bst: Please state your names and instruments. Matt: I'm Mentley. I play guitar. Dom plays bass, Ben plays the drums, and Dave sings. bst: Tell us about the new album, Vendetta. What should listeners expect from the new album? How would you compare it to your other releases? Do you think that losing a guitarist has had any negative impact on your sound or the new record? Matt: What listeners can expect is a brutal and heavy record. We as a band also feel that this is our most solid and complete album that we have ever done. I think that fans of Haymaker will enjoy it. There is little more metal influence in there, but it's done tastefully and I think each song can stand on its own. As far as losing a guitarist, I don't think it hurt us. I think that it's just different. It's a different album, and it's got a different vibe to it, which is a good thing. bst: How would you describe working with Trustkill? Does it feel good to be on a label with some other bands from the Orange County scene? Matt: Working with Trustkill is like eating a freshly roasted corn on the cob right off the grill. Yeah it's cool because 18 Visions and Bleeding Through are all good friends of ours. We have known all those dudes forever. bst: You guys played Ozzfest last summer, what was that like? What kind of response did you get? Do you think that bigger tours like Warped, Ozzfest, and Sounds of the Underground are beneficial to the music community by exposing more people to your music? Or do you think it keeps some of the diehard fans away? Matt: Ozzfest was a great tour. I loved playing to that many people everyday. I personally thought that we got a solid response each time we played. As far as those package tours go, I personally feel that they help underground music get out to a lot more people then it normally would. I would hope that the so-called "diehard fans" would be supportive and come out and support the bands that they claim to love. bst: As the hardcore/metal genres continues to gain popularity through these larger tours, Headbanger’s Ball, and the larger labels signing more and more bands with few or no releases to their credit, do you see the quality of music suffering as a result? Why or why not? Matt: I don't think that the quality of music suffers because major labels take interest or bands get bigger. It only suffers when bands start sacrificing their integrity to try and fit in to something they are not. If we were on a major label, we would still sound the same. We would be the same dudes, with the same beliefs. That will never change no matter how big we might get or how much money may be thrown our way. bst: What do you think is the best part of the music industry right now? What can be done to keep that going? What do you see as the biggest problem with the music industry right now? What do you think can be done to fix it? Matt: I think that the best part of the music industry right now is how much the underground is thriving. It is starting to get noticed as something true and real. The only thing that can be done to keep that going is for all of us to keep doing what we are doing and stay true to who we are as bands and people. The underground music scene will be here even when the mainstream decides that they are no longer interested. I guess the biggest problem is how much fake watered down crap is still so prevalent on the radio and on TV. But that has always been the problem and it probably always will be. I just try not to worry about it and just keep doing what I love to do. bst: I read that Revolver called you guys “The Future of Metal,” how do you react to that? I also saw something about you guys being the next Pantera; those are some pretty big shoes to fill. Personally, I don’t think there will ever be another Pantera, but do you consider it an honor to even be mentioned in that sense? Matt: First of all, I agree that there will never be another Pantera. If former members of Pantera's new bands aren't it, then we sure as hell aren't either. Yes, it is a huge honor to even have that said about us. We all love that band to death and what they did for American Metal. We can only hope to ever come close to matching what they did. As far as us being the "The Future of Metal", that is just as much an honor and we are very excited to be considered as such. We would love to be the "future", but that isn't up to us, it's up to the fans. bst: What are your plans at the conclusion of this tour? More touring? R&R? Matt: I think we have a week or so off, then we doing a headlining tour across the U.S. hitting a lot of the smaller cities that we don't usually play on a regular tour. Along with us will be, Sinai Beach, The Agony Scene, and Remembering Never. It should be a great tour. After that, I don't know yet, but I promise it will be non-stop touring for the next year. bst: Anything else you would like to add? Matt: THROWDOWN LOVES DENVER!!! bst: Thanks a ton for taking the time to answer the questions. We really appreciate it. See you guys in Denver. throwdown official site