Throwdown vocalist Dave Peters

After nearly two years on the sidelines, Orange County, California hardcore/metal unit Throwdown has returned. The band will release a new album next week and we thought this would be a great time to catch up with vocalist and band leader Dave Peters.


 

Nowhere. I think I left California once during that time.

I barely have an attention span for an album over 30 minutes these days. If a band I really like puts out a record longer than that, I'm still probably not actively listening to it start to finish in one sitting. I don't know what that's a function of, but it just seemed arrogant to be that way with records I listen to but not ones I record.

I wrote 11 songs and it felt done, so it was.

In 2006 I was the only member left from the Haymaker recording. I wrote and recorded the lion's share of music for Vendetta, Venom & Tears, and Deathless, so not much is new under the sun with Intolerance. And Jarrod knows it's only a matter of time before I learn how to effectively use a drum machine.

California?

There was a conscious effort to write harder, shorter, more decisive music. So...yes.

The album most celebrated as hardcore by people younger than me (from what I can tell anyway) was much more influenced by Sepultura than Minor Threat. I suppose it's just tomato/tomahto with what we describe as "hardcore."

Prior to the recording of Haymaker, the remaining founding members of Throwdown were writing songs akin to Deftones, Hoobastank and Taproot. The music I wrote for Haymaker and beyond steered the band in a direction more familiar to fans of some of my favorite bands-- Pantera, Hatebreed and Slayer. So, I guess I should say... you're welcome?

Both, but more the former than the latter. Touring more days of the year than not to make ends meet just wasn't for me in the long run. "Stability" is a relative word in this case, though, and there are guys older than me in comparable bands that are grinding it out quite happily and successfully on the road.

Had we not struggled with labels (Trustkill aka Bullet Tooth), declining CD sales, expensive gas... all the things that entitled band guys whine about ad nauseam, then the decision to hit the brakes on touring would have been delayed by maybe a couple years.

Were they, though? That's a more compelling story, but I don't think any of the bands you listed, or Throwdown for that matter, experienced a to-scale arc or timeline dissimilar to most touring bands out there. They each garnered a fan base, had a crescendo, and then went on to play to their core fans in the wake of it. Sure, some chose to break up at one point or another for various reasons, but it's a copout to blame "the industry" for a band's decline or ultimate dissolution.

If a band can carry on after an integral member DIES, then they can do so when CD sales are down or a label jerks them around. It's a choice.

Hearing a big crowd screaming along to our songs at Download Festival in 2006.

Hearing a Throwdown riff in an A Day To Remember song in 2013.

The continued use of the word "stalwarts" by metal/hardcore websites and magazines. And the Chillow™.

I'm assuming this is a Marty McFly type scenario where the time with my younger self is limited and/or ill-advised by a scientist. So I probably wouldn't bother with music industry advice, and instead stick to things like investment tips, sports bets and obtaining patents for important inventions that have yet to be considered. Or maybe just suggesting potential career paths that don't involve pissing into an empty Dasani bottle inside a moving vehicle.

Hatebreed – Pit

Max Cavalera – Riff

Keith Barney – Horse painting

Dave Mandel – Class act

Avenged Sevenfold – Pyro

Scott Vogel – (More) stage dives

Ben Dussault – Handsome / Hangry

Pantera – G.O.A.T.

Straight Edge - Yes

Josh Grabelle – No

Sharon Osbourne - Laundry

It probably won't be another 4-year radio silence, but I don't know.

I'm fly fishing for steelhead this weekend with my brother. If we don't catch anything, we'll probably eat Del Taco.

I'd like to tell you "soon," but we've had it remixed seven times now and just can't find the right vibe. Something's missing. For now, we've collectively agreed to step away from the project and revisit it in another 12 to 14 years.