Throwdown – Deathless

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Deathless represents Throwdown’s first album of their new record deals with Nuclear Blast in Europe and E1 Music in North America, after leaving Trustkill Records in 2008 following their acclaimed Venom & Tears album. Obvious Pantera comparisons, which have been rife since guitarist Dave Peters took over lead vocal duties from Keith Barney in 2002, still can’t be avoided, but this isn’t quite the statement Venom & Tears was. It is the sound of a matured band who aren’t writing songs purely for their aggression value anymore. Nothing shows this more than the exceptional Widowed, which is slow to build, in a Cemetary Gates kind of way, but emotional for its duration, with a great solo in the middle and a heavy finish. In some places (The Scythe, Headed South, Black Vatican) the band are in more standard territory, while Skeleton Vanguard is their most Pantera-like song to date; the vocals, riffs and melodies are all exactly in their style. But it’s when they dare to try something else that they really deliver on this album. Immensely heavy in places (Ouroboros Rising, Tombs), thoughtful in others (Widowed, The Continuum, Burial At Sea), some of their best lead guitar parts so far, and a slackening of the over-realiance on pure anger make Deathless their most accomplished record, even if it’s probably not going to be their most popular. It is a bit of a departure, and although existing Throwdown fans may struggle to accept the new direction, it is a huge improvement for the band, and move they should be confident enough to pursue further.

Written by Andy Lye
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