Okay, before getting into this too much, I dare say Trustkill's sound, image or content won't set the scene on its ear, but damn -- they do what they do very well. To hell with comparisons, but broad-stroking their sound just a bit, elements of Helmet, Vio-Lence, Black Flag and some Frankenstein's monster mishmash of Pantera, Biohazard, Pro-Pain and Hatebreed come to mind.

Like America itself, melding such a wide array of factors into a single concentrated effort makes that, your creation, solely your own. Whether that is a new country formed by years of immigration or a band wisely drawing from and putting to use influences to their sound, Throwdown has exemplified this with _Vendetta_.

_Vendetta_ is balls-out straightforward, good ol' metalcore. Thrashy, moshy and definitely catchy, all eleven tracks on this disc have plenty of hooks and riffs to satisfy even the most demanding of pit-dwellers. If you're looking for substantiation of this, check out cut eight, "The World Behind" -- unbelievable!

Vocalist Dave Peters powerfully delivers the prerequisite gruff 'n' tumble variety inspired growl. The aforementioned barrage of riffs is due in large part to the proficiency of guitarist Mark Choiniere, and the highly intuitive instrumental communication with low-ender bassist Matt Mentley and drummer Ben Dussault. For a paint-by-numbers -- one singer, one bass player, one drummer and one guitarist -- quartet, Throwdown enjoys an amazingly rich and heavy sound all throughout _Vendetta_'s nearly forty minute play time.

Thank the Good Lord above, Trustkill Records pulled my head outta the sand and delivered Throwdown's newest effort from their door to mine or I might have remained ignorant of the existence of this fine outfit. Now that I'm aware, I can leave that oblivious old world behind.