The Showdown - Temptation Come My Way (CD)

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It seems that either some bands want to keep their identity secret or they are just playing with my nerves. If you want to remain unknown, you just go and lock yourself in a monastery, you don't form a band! Anyway, enough with my bitching. It is just that I am pissed off when I am trying to review an album and the band's official website has no useful information…

I managed to find 2-3 things about these guys since their official website's address will just drive you to their Myspace page, where there is no biography stuff and it just mentions the band members' names, not even what instrument does each of them plays! Anyway, formed in 2002, THE SHOWDOWN used to be a Metalcore band but has now turned into a more Stoner/Heavy Metal outfit. This album is their second one, after their A Chorus Of Obliteration in 2004.

I was a bit confused by something I read about these guys. When I saw the genre tab (on a site), it said: Metalcore (early) - Stoner Heavy Metal (now) Isn't it a bit funny? I mean how can a band change two musical styles in 5 years? Anyway, that's none of my business. So, Temptation Come My Way is an album that stylistically balances between Metalcore/Melodic Thrash and Stoner/Heavy Metal. You can find melodic catchy moments that will turn into PANTERA/CORROSION OF CONFORMITY style outbreaks. These guys seem to have found a pretty interesting music formula. At first, I was a bit bored while listening to this album, but after 2-3 times I started realizing some things about their music. I was listening to the CD with a friend and during the first tracks, I was saying that they have to decide what to play, either Metalcore or Stoner. When the album was over, I looked at my friend and said: Man, these guys combined one of my favorite music genres (Stoner) and one that I dislike (Metalcore), and you know what? How the fuck can they do it so good? It was the time I realized that even though their music seems simple, you have to listen to this CD more than 1-2 times to start understanding some things. These guys can show their melodic side with songs like Fanatics And Whores and their groovier one with songs like We Die Young and Breath Of The Swamp, which is 100% inspired by the gods of this genre, PANTERA! That's the way we like it, southern style baby!

No buy or die and one of the best releases stuff this time. I just want to say that fans of good Metal know what to do. I think that most of you have been sick and tired of bands that mix Metalcore with Death Metal or Hardcore. What about a band that enriches Metalcore with groove and Stoner/Sludge elements? No more words by me. It is up to you…