Originally formed out of the ashes of short-lived super group M.A.R.S. in the late Eighties and reaching cult status based on the strength of a widely circulated 1990 five-song cassette EP that garnered the band a dedicated worldwide following, DRIVER came back to life with a bang in 2008 via their appropriately titled debut album, 'Sons Of Thunder.' Containing newly recorded versions of the classic EP cuts in addition to seven brand new compositions, the band resurrected their unique brand of melodic yet hard-hitting style of metal that made DRIVER one of the most underrated heavy rock acts of their time.
Centered around powerhouse vocalist Rob Rock (Impellitteri, Warrior, Joshua, Avantasia, Axel Rudi Pell) and acclaimed guitarist/producer Roy Z (Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Tribe Of Gypsies) and featuring original drummer Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (Jag Panzer, Joey Tafolla, Tribe After Tribe), along with seasoned players Ed Roth (Glenn Hughes, Ronnie Montrose, Impellitteri) on keyboards and Aaron Samson (Odin, George Lynch, John 5) on bass, Driver was welcomed back with open arms by the hard rock community, culminating in the band's first ever European live appearance at Germany's prestigious Bang Your Head!!! festival in the summer of 2009.
In the fall of 2011, main writers Rob Rock and Roy Z renewed their long standing creative partnership and commenced work on a follow-up to 'Sons Of Thunder.' As was the case with its predecessor, 'Countdown' is a mixture of brand new material and several rescued-from-the-vaults demo gems, including 'Destiny', 'Thief in the Night' and 'Always on my Mind', which interlock seamlessly for a classic Driver-style album, aided by Roy Z's emphasis on vintage production values that harken back to the glory days of early 80's heavy metal.
Chiefly recorded and mixed at Roy Z's California-based studio, the duo once again brought in Carlson, Roth and Samson to cut the bulk of the tracks, with additional contributions coming from bassists Ray Burke (Life After Death, Bruce Dickinson) and Daniel Cordova (Shades Of Crimson, Vengeance Rising), as well as veteran vocalist Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen, Royal Hunt). Mastering duties were again handled by Maor Appelbaum (Halford, Sepultura, Yngwie Malmsteen).