Loudside.com sat down with Throwdown bassist Matt Mentley at the Warped Tour stop at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, to ask about how they felt about doing such a non-metal oriented tour, the new record 'Venom & Tears', and what the bands plans were after Warped Tour. Here's what Matt had to say about all things Throwdown:

Loudside.com: Now, being that guys are one of the heaviest bands on this tour, how has the crowd response been so far?

Matt: Uh, man, dude it's been real surprising actually. Granted we started in our home kind of like, Pomona/Ventura. And even kind of up here (Northern California), it's still in our home state,so it's been really good. And we've done the west coast kind of leg in the past, and it's always been really good for us. We're kind of curious to get out into the rest of the Warped Tour and see how we do, because obviously we've toured everywhere, but we've never done a whole Warped Tour ya know. So kinda curious in not knowing what to really expect in the other states, and other regions ya know. But so far dude, we've been pleasantly surprised, so it's cool.

Loudside.com: Ok, now as you mentioned, you've done some dates on the Warped Tour before. Now were there any other offers in terms of summer touring, and if so, what made you decide to do Warped as opposed to a more Metal oriented tour?

Matt: Well, there definitely wasn't another offer. (Laughs) But ya know, we did Ozzfest in 2004, and in 2005 we did Sounds of the Underground, the first one ya know. And last year we did like a short stint on this, and then we did some overseas stuff last summer. But I think not only was this our only option for summer touring, but I think it was kind of a good thing, because like I said we've done the summer metal festivals for touring. Both of the bigger ones, ya know, and the only ones. And we're kinda just curious to get out into this, and just see how we do, ya know. I know there's other metal bands, like you got Killswitch on there, and Haste The Day, and a few other ones that will be on different legs of the tour. But we're definitely....there's not really another band that's similar to us, and we kind of like that challenge and are willing just to see what happens. I mean if it bombs every other day, then that's cool ya know. We're out there to try and work hard and win over some people.

Loudside.com: So would you have done something such as Family Values, just to get out to more of a broad audience?

Matt: Yeah, dude, that's the other tour that we would love to do. We've definitely been in contact with the people that are involved with that last year and this year. And it kind of just never panned out, and hopefully next year, ya know. I don't know. That's another tour that we would love to of course do, ya know. And definitely a different arena for us too. But yeah, Warped Tour.....I don't know, like I said, we're just excited for the challenge of seeing how we do on here, ya know.

Loudside.com: Now with the short set times for a tour like this, exactly how much new material is being incorporated into your set, with the album not being out yet?

Matt: Well right now we're just doing one. And we're switching it maybe every other day, kinda switching a couple of the new ones. But I think usually, especially with a band like us that's very crowd interactive, we try not to play alot of new songs until the records are out, because kids are just like 'Meh', ya know what I mean? And granted it shouldn't matter, but we definitely like to keep our fans happy, so we've just been playing one. And when the new record comes out at the beginning of August, we might end up doing two, just to kind of mix it up. So yeah, we're definitely excited to play more, I mean we wanna play more new stuff ya know. But just one for now.

Loudside.com: And does your setlist stay the same everyday, or do you change it up occassionally and throw in some older stuff as well?

Matt: Yeah, on this tour we've kinda been mixing it up. I mean, it's only been three days, but we kinda change it and kinda......some days we're like we don't feel like playing this or that song. And since it's such a short set, we have that option to switch songs and try different ones and see the different reactions. So it's kinda cool in the sense that we can mix in alot of different things ya know.

Loudside.com: Cool. Now with the past two records, not including the new one, but with 'Haymaker' and 'Vendetta', it's kind of a new Throwdown, and that's what alot of these kids have been getting into. And being that 'Forever' is now a staple song, is that one that's a constant in the set list?

Matt: Yeah, pretty much. I think we played that song last, probably everyday since like....geeez, 2003? I'm always pushing to not play it last, like I always wanna put it in the later half of the set, but not always finish. Maybe even open with it. I'm always down to mix it up, and I always seem to get some resistance from everyone else. (laughing) They're like 'No we gotta play it last, cause then after we play it everything else won't seem as cool'. And I'm like 'Eh'. I feel that on this new record, there's gonna be some songs that we might be able to play last, and maybe have Forever be later in the set. But it kind of gets too routine, ya know, and everyone seems to expect it. And not that we don't wanna play the song, but I personally would like to see things mixed up a little bit, ya know.

Loudside.com: You guys have plenty of other songs that are just as strong....

Matt: Yeah, I know. We agree with that too. But it's a matter of the live aspect, ya know.

Loudside.com: Now, other than hearing the new song that you guys played today, which was called 'S.C.U.M'., the only other new song I've heard thus far is 'Holy Roller'. With those two songs being more aggressive and heavy, is that a good indicator of what the rest of the new album is gonna sound like?

Matt: Yeah, ya know....it's funny cause uhh, those two songs are definitely two of the more aggressive songs. I think the record itself is the most diverse Throwdown album musically. I don't wanna say too much cause I don't wanna give people any preconcieved notions. I just want people to listen to it and judge for themselves based on that. But it's definitely the most diverse record, and we spent the most time on this one than we ever have. We spent six months writing it, and two months recording it, which for us is a really big deal. We usually do records in two months, writing and recording. So we really had time to sit with the songs and to really develop them, and Dave had alot of time with vocals and trying different and trying different things and stuff. And granted there's no melodic....or rather no pretty singing, but it definitely is a different feel. But it still has Throwdown to it, ya know. It's still us obviously, and I hope people enjoy it, because we're more proud of this record than anything we've ever done. And I think this is the first record where we really feel like this is really us. This is really who we are. And we really just let our influences come out and not worry about anybody else or what they think, ya know. And it's cool to be able to do that and feel good about it. So even if the record bombs, we're happy. We're happy if it ends on this note, ya know. If that's the case. Not that it is. I mean, the reaction to putting 'Holy Roller' up on our page has been great. We've been getting great feedback from it. And of course, there's always haters, and I think every band experiences that, ya know, cause everyone wants to say their piece and feel like they're important, ya know. But yeah, those songs definitely are the aggressive ones, and there are other songs that have a different vibe to them than any other Throwdown songs, and I think people will be surprised. So I'm excited to get that out there, to see what people say. So I guess we'll see how people react to it. It's nervous and exciting at the same time, ya know.

Loudside.com: Ok, now where exactly is Throwdown headed in regards to the lyrical content of the new album?

Matt: Well, it's definitely a real personal record for Dave. It definitely touched on alot of personal issues, but there's definitely some broad issues too. Like there's a song called 'Americana' that touches on the distusting culture that we live in basically, or lack of culture in America. Of people being obssessed with the celebrity gossip, and all that garbage. And we just talk about that, and it's something that kind of bothers us all. And there's a song.....I'm trying to think of the lyrics.....Well, that song 'S.C.U.M.' that we played today, which is about people that are just wasting their life away with drug addiction and just ruining themselves. And that's a song about that. And as much as calling them scum is a derogatory term, at the same time we definitely care about those people and wish that people would wake up and not destroy themselves ya know. It definitely is an aggressive song, and it's trying to be like a wake up call to people. And hopefully, if anybody is going through stuff like that, and hears it, and feels like 'WOW'. It hits em hard hopefully, ya know. And that's what we wanna do, ya know.

Loudside.com: Cool. Now you've worked with Zeuss before, and prior to that you worked with Greg Koller. And now working with Mudrock, what did he bring to the table that might have helped the band create the new songs that make up the new album?

Matt: Well, we wanted to go with.....well, especially with Zeuss, he's know for Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, and some of the heavier bands. We wanted to go with somebody who's done different types of things. I mean, obviously he's done Godsmack, he's done Avenged Sevenfold, and those are two of the bigger ones he's done. And those are obviously way different bands from us. And we just wanted somebody who does a different style of producing to produce us, and record our album. Because we just wanted to see the limits we could take it to, with someone that's willing to expand with us and willing to experiment with us instead of just going and doing something that we know were gonna get what we sound like, and we know it's gonna be good. I mean, Zeuss is an awesome producer, and we Love 'Vendetta', but we just wanted to see how far we could go with it, and that was our choice with Mudrock was, like I said, going with somebody different that doesn't necessarily do bands like us all the time. Just to give it a different spin, ya know.

Loudside.com: Did he throw any ideas out there that maybe didn't necessarily change a song, but something that added to a song that you guys might not have thought of?

Matt: Yeah, he definitely had some production ideas and things like that, that developed in the studio. Basic song structures and all that, lyrically and everything was already pretty much set in stone, I think. But yeah, there was definitely some layering and things we did that developed in the studio. So it was cool.

Loudside.com: Ok, now on a similar note, I know that Mark is the newest member of the band. What does he bring into the band that has helped to shape the sound of the current incarnation of Throwdown?

Matt: Well, he.....this record is his first record that he wrote anything on, and he definitely brings a real....he has kind of like, I don't know if it's southern......but definitely a couple of the songs that he wrote on the record are very umm, remind me of like Crowbar things liek that ya know, the sludgier stuff. That's kind of his vibe. And he actually wrote part of 'S.C.U.M.' too, the faster part.....he's a huge fan of Suicidal and stuff like that, and that influence is definitely in there too now. But it melds well with me and Dave. Cause Dave writes alot, and I also write, and so it's cool. It kind of meshes the three of us together, and kind of brings a real diverse element to this record that the other ones were lacking I think.

Loudside.com: Definitely. Because you play guitar, and so does Dave.

Matt: Yes! Dave used to play guitar in the band a long time ago actually. So yeah, there's three guitar players basically, and it's cool. When we're writing the record, each of us will go in like on different days with Ben, and hash out our ideas, with just two dudes. And the other two would come later, and we'd just go over it from there ya know. So it was cool, it let everybody kind of get their ideas out, and it was just real open and it was just cool. And alot of songs got dropped from that, ya know. We recorded twelve songs, we had two in the studio that we cut, and before that there was like four or five that were cut before we went to the studio, so we had ALOT of material. And some of it might resurface ya know, I don't know. But it was cool, it was a good writing experience, and Mark fit in perfect with us.

Loudside.com: Right on. Now with the release of the album still being about a month away, are there any plans to shoot a video for 'Holy Roller' or any of the other tracks to coincide with the release?

Matt: Yeah, we actually are negotiatiing all that stuff right now. We're trying to hopefully get a video going as soon as we get back from Warped. We tried to get one going before, but scheduling just didn't allow. So hopefully.....we're still deciding exactly what song we're gonna do. 'Holy Roller' is definitely a candidate. And I guess we'll see what we can do. We want to do alot of videos, and with MTV and things like that kinda mattering less and less, especially for heavy bands, we kinda would love to do a video for every song, and just put them on the Youtube page for all the fans to see. Kinda give the songs a visual element. And I think that would be cool. I know bands have done it, not like us. But I know Deathcab For Cutie did a visual companion to their last record, which is cool. It's just a rad idea. And it kind of gives the record a different life, and people can see it in a different way. Not that we're gonna release anything like that, but even just online, just putting those videos up and stuff. I mean that's where people watch videos anyway it seems like these days. So hopefully we'll see what develops with that. But we're working on stuff like that.

Loudside.com: I think that not regular MTV but on MTV2 with Headbanger's Ball and whatnot. I think they're kind of, not necessarily catching on, but they KNOW that people are watching stuff on Youtube now, and I've noticed that they're starting to show a little bit more stuff now.

Matt: Yeah, they cut out all the host and guest appearances and all that, it's just straight videos. And in one sense that's cool because you just see videos ya know. But it kinda sucks cause that was like the one exposure that bands like us would get to go on and guest host Headbangers, and we've done it a few times. But that's the one thing we're kind of bummed about, cause it was fun. It was cool to be able to do that, and Jamey who hosted it, from Hatebreed, who's a good friend of ours and a dude we've been touring with forever, ya know. So it was kinda always fun and we were like 'Ah cool we get to go hang out on Headbangers Ball' ya know. So that's the only bummer about that. And I definitely back that they just show videos at the same time too. It gets more in there, and it's cool, and I guess that's what people want. I don't know. (laughs)

Loudside.com: So with that outlet, it will end up on there potentially as well, right?

Matt: Yeah, probably.

Loudside.com: Now is there going to be a special edition of 'Venom and Tears' like there was with 'Vendetta'?

Matt: I don't think so. I think we're just kind of putting it out as it is. There's like a bonus seven inch that's gonna be for like the first thousand pre-orders online. And it's got a Crowbar cover, and umm, a Misfits cover. And it's just a two sided, one song on each side. It's kind of a limited thing we're doing, and like a limited T-shirt with that. But no bonus content with the record. We talked about it, and it kinda just didn't work out. We rushed to get the master done, and get it into pressing. So yeah, I don't think we're gonna do that. We kind of.....the whole thing with special editions is that, we almost feel like sometimes people put them out just to put em out. At this point, they feel like they've lost their fun, or the coolness of them, because it seems like every band, after 6 months into the cycle it's like 'Special Editon', with a couple of bonus demo tracks or something ya know. It's like, we would just put those online where people could have them for free ya know.

Loudside.com: Well another thing too is that the fans obviously want to get the stuff on there that wasn't initially released, and is considered 'bonus' material. So they're buying the same album essentially, because they're fans, and alot of artists have been weighing in on that and saying it's not fair to the fan. Because they already bought the album, and if you were gonna put something out, you should have put it out then.

Matt: And I noticed alot of bands are doing that now. Like with the initial release of the record, there will be bonus tracks on it or whatever. And I think that's cool. Like with 'Vendetta' we did it, with the bonus DVD. But yeah, we definitely don't have anything coming out with this one. And I don't think we would re-release it, but I mean, who knows. I guess it just depends, ya know. We'll see.

Loudside.com: Now as far as the seven inch and you mentioning those covers, is there any chance of the cover that you guys do of  Sepultura's 'Roots' ending up on a cd?

Matt: You know what, we uh.....we recorded that in the UK, we did a live BBC  Radio Sessions, and I think we did 'Roots'. I can't even remember now...I wanna say we did it, but I can't even remember now. I don't think we've ever really recorded it. For this record we recorded a cover of 'Propaganda', and that will be coming out as some bonus....I don't really know how the label's gonna do it. Maybe release it with iTunes, as a free track with the album or something like that I think. But yeah, we decided to go with 'Propaganda'. Yeah, 'Roots' man, I don't know if we'll ever record that, that's a good question.

Loudside.com: Ok, now what are the plans for Throwdown following the completion of Warped Tour, and what can we look foward to in regards to touring from the band for the rest of this year?

Matt: Well, I think we're going out with Machine Head after this tour, from what I understand. There hasn't been an announcement officially online or anything like that. I don't know if I'm gonna get in trouble for saying that, but from what I understand, yeah. As far as I know, we confirmed we're gonna do that tour. I think it's Machine Head and Arch Enemy, and I don't know who the opener's gonna be. So we're really excited. We've toured with Arch Enemy in the UK, never toured with Machine Head, and they're obviously definitely a big influence on us. And I'm a huge fan, and I know Dave is, so we're definitely excited to go out with that band. It's really cool, cause we've had the opportunity to tour with alot of our influences. Like we toured with Soulfly, and Max Cavalera is one of my idols, and just in general. And it was really cool to find out that he was a fan, ya know. And then we saw him, like six months after we did the tour, and we saw him over in the UK at Download fest he's like 'Hey Matt', like he remembered my name, and that's just cool to me. And I don't really get star struck about stuff, but with somebody that you remember buying their record when you were twelve, when I bought 'Chaos A.D.', or maybe I was thirteen. I just remembered how much I was like 'This record is insane!'. And still to this day, my favorite metal record is still 'Chaos A.D.' And just to be a friend to that dude is cool man. And actually Dave just did an interview for Revolver Magazine, the 'Rebel Meets Rebel' series, I don't know if you've seen that in Revolver. So he interviewed Max for it. So that'll be cool to see. I haven't read the interview or anything, but that's a big deal. And we got to tour with In Flames last year. So we've done alot of cool tours, and this one is definitely gonna be a cool one for us. And after that, I'm not really sure. Maybe some overseas stuff. But we'll definitley be touring alot on this record...........