Throwdown Drive Me Dead

Throwdown is a brutal straight-edge outfit from Orange County. Not suprisingly, their Drive Me Dead EP is an aggressive little piece of music, firmly rooted in hardcore and metal. This band is apparently hell-bent on delivering their messages amidst meaty riffs and pummeling metal grooves. After kicking off with an audio sample from the classic movie, "The Breakfast Club", Throwdown quickly gets down to some serious hardcore business. The band doesn't mince words (lyrically), and their rants on religion, debauchery, and sincerity are perfectly suited for the music. Take a minute or two to read the concise lyrics, and one can't help but admire Throwdown for working so diligently to communicate with their audience. Hardcore is often the perfect vehicle for choruses like "Raise your fist in the air, drug free", and this effort is no exception. Although the singer occasionally talks, most of the vocals consist of throaty growls and screams. The guitars are riff-heavy and assist the intense double-bass drums in delivering some knockout hardcore blows. The EP in general is relatively short and fairly good, though not particularly complex or innovative. Bottom Line: Instead of utilizing intricate breakdowns, guitar wizardry, and technical tempo changes, Throwdown chooses to barrel full-force ahead with no-nonsense metallic hardcore, and while they won't get points for variety or finesse, their conviction and competent delivery should suffice for most fans of this genre.