THROWDOWN ARE “HOLY ROLLER”S

I consider myself a Throwdown fan. Yeah, yeah, they sound a lot like Pantera, but that’s never bothered me because a) Pantera were frickin’ awesome and b) these days saying a metal band sounds like Pantera (or Slayer or Metallica, for that matter) is a little like saying they have a guitar player; it’s a given.

Still, I don’t know what to make of “Holy Roller,” the first single from their forthcoming Venom & Tears album, which the band has posted on their MySpace page. It still sounds a helluva lot like Pantera – almost freakishly so – and yet it does so in a slightly different way from Throwdown’s other material: the hardcore elements the band is known for are still place, but so are more traditionalist thrash elements – a faster, galloping riff, a shredding solo, etc. The song has a good groove, but the chorus is forgettable and vocalist Dave Peters, trying to actually sing (not scream) for the first time I’m aware of, proves to be, well, kinda generic sounding. Still, it’s not the worst song I’ve ever heard.

Venom & Tears was produced by Mudrock and comes out on Trustkill August 7.

-AR