Throwdown

Throwdown formed in 1997 in Orange County, California, initially as a straight edge hardcore band before evolving into a heavier metalcore and groove metal outfit. The group was formed in 1997 by vocalist Keith Barney, an active member of both Adamantium and Eighteen Visions, guitarists Tommy Love and Javier Van Huss, bassist Dom Macaluso, and drummer Marc Jackson. Reportedly, the group took on the title Throwdown as a "wry irony on their collective stature," at the time no band member being more than 5 feet 8 inches. The band's earliest recorded output arrived quickly, as the band released their debut, self-titled 7-inch single that same year through Prime Directive Records. After early lineup shuffling, including Van Huss departing and being replaced by Brandan Schieppati , the band signed a recording contract with Indecision Records and released their first studio album Beyond Repair the following year. The band's true breakthrough came in the mid-2000s after another key personnel shift brought in vocalist Dave Peters, who took over after Schieppati left the band to concentrate full-time on his other band Bleeding Through. Throwdown then recorded Haymaker, their breakthrough album featuring straight-edge anthem "Forever," for the Trustkill label. This was followed by their most commercially and critically significant record, Vendetta, released in 2005, which marked the group's initial shift from hardcore punk to metal and produced the single "Burn." The impact of these releases was substantial: the songs "Forever" and "Burn" became staples on MTV2's Headbangers Ball, and Revolver Magazine called them part of "The Future of Metal" after hearing the album Vendetta. Throughout the 2000s, Throwdown built a reputation as a relentless touring act, cementing their status within the hardcore and metal scenes. The band toured as part of Ozzfest, Sounds of the Underground, Hellfest, and Warped Tour, and with bands such as In Flames, Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Korn, and Cavalera Conspiracy. Their sound continued to evolve over subsequent releases, and as the band's discography grew, their later albums Venom and Tears and Deathless took a sharp direction towards metal, with critics likening the band's sound to that of Pantera, Sepultura, and Crowbar. The band experienced extensive turnover in personnel over the years, and by later points in their history the band had endured numerous lineup changes to the point where no original members remained. Throwdown has remained active into recent years, continuing to play shows and festival dates, with a lineup that has featured Dave Peters on vocals, Matt Mentley on bass, Mark Choiniere on guitar, and Ben Dussault on drums. The band's legacy rests on its role as one of the defining acts to emerge from the Orange County hardcore scene, having become, as one label description put it, the Orange County, California hardcore scene's flagship band since 1997, grabbing the torch lit by the seminal OC punk bands of the '80s and early '90s. Their fusion of breakdown-heavy hardcore with metal aggression influenced a generation of bands that followed in the 2000s heavy music resurgence.