Matthew Tsai
08/19/08, 11:33 PM
The Showdown - Back Breaker
Record Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: August 19, 2008
The Showdown could slay Hephaestus. The Showdown could slay Zeus. If they wanted to, The Showdown could probably slay Batman.
Tell all the scene kids and your ma: The Showdown is back - and breaking. The band's third LP, Back Breaker, is one of the few metal releases to beat in 2008. Whiny fans of A Chorus of Obliteration, who were disappointed by Temptation Come My Way, have now obtained the right to remain silent. Temptation Come My Way enthusiasts will also find something to like here: Back Breaker is heavy; Back Breaker is brutal; Back Breaker is calling for a re-evaluation of the modern metal scene. Move over "almighty" Norma Jean - I believe the correct phrase is The "almighty" Showdown.
The album explodes with the breakdown-to-wild-riffing instrumental "Titanomachy - The Beginning" and literally never lets up. Even the slower, melodic "Cerebrus - The Hellhound Awaits" rocks beastly guitar chugs and whees. Back Breaker is a nice mix of The Showdown's previous full-length works, full of barbarous breakdowns, savage solos and a decent mix of southern melodies. David Bunton's incredible vocals rumble speakers with growls so raspy, your throat will itch. And it fits with the destructive accompanying music.
"Give us a thirst for vengeance and we will break their backs / Rise!" roars "Achilles - The Backbreaker," as brutal-wannabes (Emmure) quake. The heaviness of Back Breaker can be overwhelming, though it does not quite surpass the brutality of A Chorus of Obliteration. No matter, as The Showdown make it up by bringing back the southern tunes from Temptation Come My Way, which are entertaining to say the least.
Back Breaker does headbang dangerously on the edge of having all the songs sound too similar though, and it may be hard to sit through forty-four minutes of harrowingly crushing tracks. This is the main jarring feature of the album, to which The Showdown reply, "who cares?" and then, "I will strike with the vengeance of a thousand hoards / I am vengeance!" ("Aries - I Am Vengeance"). If you have trouble sitting through the entire album in one sitting, break it up into sections - it's just as enjoyable.
So what lesson can we learn from this record? Don't mess with well done metal, and if your band can't pull off the necessary brutality, you might as well stay away from the genre because more adept bands like The Showdown will absolutely destroy the validity of your career. Back Breaker is a solid album that will undoubtedly land on a sundry of "album of the year" lists (and will very likely be one of the defining records of the band's career; maybe even one of the defining records of the modern metal scene).
Who does the Boogeyman check for under his bed every night? Chuck Norris? No. The Showdown.
a combination of The Showdown's A Chorus of Obliteration and Temptation Come My Way
myspace.com/theshowdown (http://www.myspace.com/theshowdown)
Record Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: August 19, 2008
The Showdown could slay Hephaestus. The Showdown could slay Zeus. If they wanted to, The Showdown could probably slay Batman.
Tell all the scene kids and your ma: The Showdown is back - and breaking. The band's third LP, Back Breaker, is one of the few metal releases to beat in 2008. Whiny fans of A Chorus of Obliteration, who were disappointed by Temptation Come My Way, have now obtained the right to remain silent. Temptation Come My Way enthusiasts will also find something to like here: Back Breaker is heavy; Back Breaker is brutal; Back Breaker is calling for a re-evaluation of the modern metal scene. Move over "almighty" Norma Jean - I believe the correct phrase is The "almighty" Showdown.
The album explodes with the breakdown-to-wild-riffing instrumental "Titanomachy - The Beginning" and literally never lets up. Even the slower, melodic "Cerebrus - The Hellhound Awaits" rocks beastly guitar chugs and whees. Back Breaker is a nice mix of The Showdown's previous full-length works, full of barbarous breakdowns, savage solos and a decent mix of southern melodies. David Bunton's incredible vocals rumble speakers with growls so raspy, your throat will itch. And it fits with the destructive accompanying music.
"Give us a thirst for vengeance and we will break their backs / Rise!" roars "Achilles - The Backbreaker," as brutal-wannabes (Emmure) quake. The heaviness of Back Breaker can be overwhelming, though it does not quite surpass the brutality of A Chorus of Obliteration. No matter, as The Showdown make it up by bringing back the southern tunes from Temptation Come My Way, which are entertaining to say the least.
Back Breaker does headbang dangerously on the edge of having all the songs sound too similar though, and it may be hard to sit through forty-four minutes of harrowingly crushing tracks. This is the main jarring feature of the album, to which The Showdown reply, "who cares?" and then, "I will strike with the vengeance of a thousand hoards / I am vengeance!" ("Aries - I Am Vengeance"). If you have trouble sitting through the entire album in one sitting, break it up into sections - it's just as enjoyable.
So what lesson can we learn from this record? Don't mess with well done metal, and if your band can't pull off the necessary brutality, you might as well stay away from the genre because more adept bands like The Showdown will absolutely destroy the validity of your career. Back Breaker is a solid album that will undoubtedly land on a sundry of "album of the year" lists (and will very likely be one of the defining records of the band's career; maybe even one of the defining records of the modern metal scene).
Who does the Boogeyman check for under his bed every night? Chuck Norris? No. The Showdown.
a combination of The Showdown's A Chorus of Obliteration and Temptation Come My Way
myspace.com/theshowdown (http://www.myspace.com/theshowdown)