The Showdown rather it was live, or on their last record Temptation Come My Way, the band could be perceived as a complete joke. Temptation was my pick for worst album of the year last year, and it was tough considering they produced an extremely impressive debut album. Their first record was a Southern Metal onslaught, complete with songs about battle, blood, and war, something that fit the demeanor perfect.
On their latest release Back Breaker, the band has rekindled old flames of straight forward metal, and even taking tidbits from Temptation, and chocking them into a mixture that works.
Gone are the cheesy lyrics about Christian perseverance, and back are songs of victory, and war, all themed around Greek mythology (song titles labeled as Achilles, Aphrodite, and Odysseus), the lyrics on this record are just as heavy as the music.
Musically, it's straight forward metal, with Metallica/Pantera esque choruses that do just fine. Some standout tracks are songs like "Back Breaker" "You Will Move" and "Give Us This Day", perhaps the heaviest track on the record. Its weak point comes in "The Hellhound Awaits" a ballad that seems like a B-Side from Temptation.
Bottom line is that this record is one of THE HEAVIEST I've heard this year, and all in all The Showdown is back to their old ways and I couldn't be more excited.
FINAL GRADE: A
No comments:
Post a Comment