The Showdown

The Showdown is hard rock meets heavy metal. The intense hard rock vocals of David Bunton pierce through your skull, while the instrumental of the rest of the band kicks it into some heavy metal guitar and drum riffs. Guitarist Travis Bailey tends to use harmonics quiet often while rhythm guitarist Josh Childers tries to stick to some good old fashion power chords. Eric Koruschak’s bass is overshadowed by the rest of the band despite his ability to play (bear in mind this is assuredly a mixing issue); it is the least prevalent part of the recording. Drummer AJ Barrette keeps stellar time all through out. The combination of hard rock vocals with heavy metal instrumental proves to be pleasing to the ear.

The first song on the CD is titled “Fanatics and Whores.” The song is basically against the preaching of religion. The lyrics “Selling Jesus on your TV show,” symbolize how the world is trying to get you to accept Jesus and believe that he did exist. The simple instrumental jumps right into something that any guitarist would love to play, it’s simple enough and yet there are still harmonics to intrigue you. The bridge leads into the guitar solo, which is an amazing face-melter, proving Travis Bailey’s amazing ability. All in all, the song makes you wonder if the band has anything else up their sleeves so you can’t help but listen to the next track.

The sixth track is entitled “It Drinks From Me.” The song is about a marriage that had failed but the couple stays together despite the obvious turmoil. “Love is easier to swallow then giving up and looking back,” is a line that exemplifies how divorce is too common, and a true relationship needs work no matter what. The instrumental in the song shows a little bit of the softer side to The Showdown. They start off with a nice acoustic guitar riff that automatically caught my attention. When they bring in the electric guitar it is still soft enough to stick with the same kind of slow theme. The solo in this song is simply amazing; they keep it at a nice slow tempo. They give both guitarists a chance to shine and play their own licks. Without a doubt this song is in my opinion the best track on the CD.

The last song is “Death Finds Us Breathing.” Without a doubt this is one of the more meaningful songs on the CD. It is about how everybody in the world takes life for granted. The lyrics are the main focus on this track, they talk about how people are ungrateful of their lives and that you can die at any moment. While David pours his heart and soul into this song, the rest of the band continues to back him up with some amazing instrumental that would make you shit yourself.

Overall, The Showdown’s album Temptation Come My Way is an amazing contribution to the music of today. Without a second thought I would name The Showdown one of the best band’s of today’s era in rock music. They have all the components to have a long career, an amazing vocalist, breath-taking guitarist, a bombastic bass player, and a fantastic drummer. I give “Temptation Come My Way” a 9/10. I suggest anyone that likes to listen to some good quality music go out and buy this album! LEAVE NOW!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Fanatics and Whores
02. Head Down
03. Six Feet Under
04. We Die Young
05. Breath of the Swamp
06. It Drinks From Me
07. Temptation Come My Way
08. Forget My Name
09. Spitting in the Wind
10. I, Victim (Here’s to the Year)
11. Carry On Wayward Son
12. Death Finds Us Breathing

Run Time: 47:55