"Throwback", the first video from ACT OF DEFIANCE, the band featuring former MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar), alongside ex-SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner, and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass), can be seen below. The song is taken from ACT OF DEFIANCE's debut album, "Birth And The Burial", which will be released on August 21 via Metal Blade Records. The clip was shot by renowned director Corey Soria (DANZIG).
Drover states: "'Throwback' is not your average speed/thrash metal tune. The song is also pretty progressive at times, with a lot of stopping and starting going into the bridge, and they are all at different times, so we really had to memorize the count."
He continues: "I was really impressed with the way Chris wanted to write a little bit out of the box, shall we say. Chris also wrote all of the lyrics for the song, which were also impressive to me. They are certainly dark in the subject matter, as they should be to fit the aggressiveness of the song. Quite a nice fit, if you ask me.
"Making the video in L.A. for 'Throwback' with Corey was the easiest and most focused video shoot I have ever been a part of. The concept was very 'old-school metal' in nature, with just smoke, lights, the band and METAL! What a concept. We all shared the common vision of just being a metal band captured on film and Corey got it right away. Corey and his entire crew were a sheer joy to work with."
Broderick adds: "'Throwback' came about through the influence of great thrash players such as Kerry King (SLAYER) and Rob Cavestany (DEATH ANGEL). They gave me the inspiration to write a tear-your-head-off, insanely fast rhythm. From there, it progressed, as I wrote, into a song that doesn't only have elements of thrash but everything in between with elements of progressive, and groove."
He continues: "I never expected 'Throwback' to be the first release off the CD, as it's not commercial, doesn't follow a typical verse-chorus-solo scheme, and is almost six minutes long. However, when you hear the fire, emotion and brutality of the song, it becomes very clear that it was a contender to show people what ACT OF DEFIANCE is really about.
"It was awesome working with Corey Soria on the music video. He had the same vision as us and understood immediately what the song was trying to say and how it should look. Along with the insight he had, there was a tireless work ethic, doing different angles, pans and trying new ideas as he conceives them is an art in itself.
"When we looked at the first edit, my jaw dropped and then he came back with more that included post editing FX that added to the mood. From the camera angles, to the lighting and editing, this video far surpassed what I hoped for."
Speaking about the formation of ACT OF DEFIANCE, Broderick told the "Amps & Axes" podcast: "This started about… I'd say seven months ago now. Right around December, right after Shawn and I had left [MEGADETH], we were talking about how we had all this music… we were talking about how we had written all this great music and it was neve gonna be used, and stuff like that. So we started talking about, 'Well, why don't we do something? Why don't we put a project together?' And from there, it quickly turned into a full-fledged band. It was, like, 'Let's make this something that's gonna be solid and concrete and not just another project of players that's gonna disband or gonna go on to the next project.'"
Broderick went on to stress the the fact that ACT OF DEFIANCE is a solid unit and not just a collection of players who came together for a quick paycheck.
"It seems like everybody is in projects everywhere," he said. "But I think people really like to identify with the musicians as well — not just the music, but also who they are as people. And so, I think that's what we wanna try and build on — that we're a band, and that's the way we're gonna stay."
Chris recently told Revolver magazine about the musical direction of ACT OF DEFIANCE's debut CD, which was recorded with with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL): "Fans can expect a mix of thrash metal with elements of other subgenres of mixed in. I think of it like we are the ambassadors of all types of metal. [Laughs] It has elements of classical music, but is really heavy at the same time. The cool thing about where we are at is that this is all about the music. We aren't worried about any amount of fame or income; we just wanted a chance to get our music out and just hope people dig it."
He added: "I think people are really going to be surprised by what Henry brings to the table. The dude's metal range can go from Bruce Dickinson to Chuck Billy to Mikael Åkerfeldt to early Phil Anselmo, and he can even do Norwegian black metal-style vocals if we asked him to."