Reviews

Even though the veteran hardcore Throwdown followers cannot rock out in unity with the metal heads, the genres can still unify cohesively and they have on Venom & Tears. The record leans towards more towards the metallic, however, the music and lyrics, remain adept and mindful of Throwdown's hardcore straightedge past. Lyrics on Venom & Tears outline what most bands today are disgruntled about; organized religion, politics, and American culture.

Venom & Tears experiments with both hardcore saturated riffs and quick bursts of metal thrash. There is a heavy Pantera influence on opening track "Holy Roller," with front man Dave Peters providing growling vocals. The metal guitars are savage but the hardcore speed is what hits you first. The lyrics, which harbor anti-religion overtones, produce a frenzy of mosh.

"Americana" starts off with a chilling hardcore chorus sung, "Hail, Hail." One of the best songs on the album, "Americana" is still too easily comparable to a Pantera track, but its riffs are aggressive and its lyrics are militant: "Pray to the God in the TV. Eyes wide, fixed and dilated bleed. A myriad of rich white trash, nothing phases me."

"S.C.U.M" is true Throwdown with pit fueling breakdowns and hardcore riffing. Its lyrics describe perhaps every disease crippling the country in just over three minutes: "If I see another pedophile priest released, a hipster glam rock wannabe, a cop shooting an unarmed teen, I'll carve my eyes out with a stick."

Aside from the majority of Pantera replicated tracks, which are good, the album also has some not so good tracks. "I'll Never Die a Poisoned Death" is more mid tempo and trades in the hardcore energy for a less hurried form. Its lyrics are gruelingly cheesy to listen to and sound like a track Metallica threw away. "I, Suicide" has some enjoyable breakdowns but Peters' vocals crash and burn. "Godspeed" captures nothing pleasurable and is a slow end to a fast album.

One can hope that the progressive lyrics and stirring riffs on Venom & Tears will one day drive metal heads and hardcore kids to dance around together, whether they're wearing their Iron Maiden or Black Flag shirts.