Remember the days when rock stars didn’t wear eyeliner, wore men’s jeans, and were not so damn sensitive? Well I know I do. Back in my day there were bands who did not care about fashion and played real music. Enter The Showdown.
Emerging from the backwoods of Tennessee, these five boys have looked beyond the image of being rock celebrities and focused on making music. Straying away from rock star partying till they puke and leaving the drugs out of the picture, The Showdown would rather give 110% at every live show rather than wake up in a mysterious place only to wonder what the hell they did the night before.
This sophomore release from The Showdown, Temptation Come My Way , is a little more southern rock than heavy metal but is still one-of-a-kind. Where I am not particular to this style of music I did enjoy listening to it. Lead singer David Bunton’s vocal style is that of Nickelback meets Pantera. The guitar solos reminded me of Anthrax and Megedeth. The entire album took over two years to create and I can hear the dedication in each track.
All of the songs have their share of guitar solos, heavy riffs, and also a wise choice of limited screaming. The lyrics are based on more real life experiences over meaningless nonsense. The only cover on the album, "Carry On Wayward Son," was performed so well that I think they succeeded in making the band Kansas cool again. "Death Finds Us Breathing" was another cut I enjoyed. I also appreciated that six of the twelve tracks had cowbell. How awesome is that?
Interesting fact about these guys that I find amusing is that their former drummer left the band to pursue a career with the WWE. While no info could be found about his wrestling name, I did find out that the replacement drummer was ex-Still Remains AJ Barrett.
If you are looking for a hard rock band that puts on a mean show, check these guys out. They are your typical metal loving American dirt bike riding future rock stars who are not out there to grab a quick buck. Their dedication alone to making music makes me a fan.
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