Doing the musical shuffle

When it came down to finding a select few songs for my band to cover, I'll admit that nothing immediately sprang to mind. Initially all I could think of was Slayer tracks, partially because I was looking at a picture of Kerry King's magnificent cranium at the time (the rest of him is in the picture, just to clarify).

While many cower at the thought of putting their iPod on shuffle for fear of the hideous musical demons that lurk within, I decided that it was the only way forward, after all, everything that came on could be a prospective song to cover, right?

Well, this wasn't entirely the case, while I did find a few gems in that dark mine of music I also waded through the likes of Aqua, Avril Lavigne and hour upon hour of bad remixes of even worse EBM tracks. While a part of me does want to hear a metal / hardcore band covering a medally of Dr. Jones and Girlfriend with a fuzzy synth breakdown I'd just rather it wasn't mine.

Of course risking the pitfalls and crushing embarrassment of shuffling your tracks does come with an upside, getting you reacquainted with bands that, for one reason or another, you just haven't listened to recently. In this case that band was Throwdown.

Since their formation in the late 90's Throwdown have been punishing ears and stirring up pits like no other band out there, thanks to their mix of Black Flag style hardcore and crushing rhythms. While many bands are happy to bring out album after album of the same material, they have continued to change their sound with every release. From their debut album, 1999's Beyond Repair, which mixes lo-fi production and breakneck riffs, to their latest effort, Deathless, which shows just how much a band can progress in a decade, Throwdown have maintained their distinctive style without letting things drag.

Of course when it came to covering a track what we needed was something immediate and recognisable, and they don't come any better than Holy Roller. Taken from the band's fifth album, Venom & Tears, the track is just asking to be played, from the thrash influenced intro to the Phil Anselmo-esque stabbing vocals it never lets up, and best of all, it has a ripping solo courtesy of guitarist Mark Choiniere.

Suffice to say, the track has snuck into my band's repetoire, alongside the powerhouse that is Cancer Bats' Hail Destroyer and Hatebreed's simple but effective Live For This.

If you're stuck in a loop, and you've had nothing but the same tunes cycling into your ears then take a chance, give your library a shuffle and I guarantee you'll find something that you'd long since forgotten about, but don't come whining to me when you realise that your music collection looks like the CD bargain bin in a roadside petrol station.

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Throwdown's latest album Deathless, along with their previous work, is available from their official merch store and on iTunes. For further information on the band check out their Myspace and Twitter pages.

All images are © their original owners, for more information on any of the bands mentioned please click the links provided.