At the tail end of 2021, US underground metal juggernaut Mega Colossus came storming into my mostly completed year end list with their aptly titled third album, Riptime. Instead of doing the same in 2023 with their long awaited follow up, Showdown, they were polite enough to wait until January of 2024 to drop this latest brazen display of American steel, so thanks dudes! That being said, I was lucky enough to receive a promo of Showdown back in 2023, early November to be exact, and I’ve been spinning it regularly ever since. So here are my semi-comprehensive thoughts after multiple listens and time to ruminate…
Holy shit they’ve done it again. Everything that drew me towards Riptime has been expanded upon and matured to perfection. Now when I use the word “mature” to describe an album, it’s usually *ahem* polite terminology to describe a current album that has toned down the heaviness or barbarity of past releases in an effort to show creative and personal growth. That’s simply not the case here. Yes, Mega Colossus have grown as songwriters, arrangers, and musicians, but the heaviness is still there in spades. Showtime is the type of USPM album that’ll make your muscles grow muscles.
Now I know some will object to this being labelled a power metal album, especially considering what passes off as “power metal” these days. However, this is no plain ol’ traditional metal affair either. The first half of this album in particular screams ’80s US steel, coupled with Maiden-esque guitar solos and imaginative lyricism, the latter adding an aura of adventure. The arrangements on cuts like “Fortune and Glory” and “Grab the Sun”, the latter an Americanized spin on Walls of Jericho era Helloween, can be described as busy in this regard. Yet these hymns defy all odds of potential pretentiousness with their intoxicating melodies and singalong choruses.
These aspects of Mega Colossus’ sound became more than apparent on Showdown‘s second half, taking centerstage on the title track and “Wicked Road”. While “Showdown” can be described as straightforward ’80s metal traditionalism with no shortage of hooks (think Maiden if they consciously attempted to pen a hit), it’s “Wicked Road” that really grabs the listener’s attention, coming off as what can best be described as a trad. metal/AOR crossover. Funny enough, the accompanying press release for Showdown namedropped Rainbow and Kansas as influences. I can absolutely hear shadows of both legendary bands’ early ’80s output on this cut, which in a fair world would be a hit single on rock radio.
Epic enough to appeal to the most cult of USPM warriors, yet still boasting the accessibility of ’80s mainstream metal that one would expect to have spoon fed by Riki Rachtman, Mega Colossus have dropped the strongest album of their career thus far in Showdown. To call it a marvel of a listen would be an understatement. No doubt about it, Showdown is bound to shoot down nearly every rival who crosses their path in 2024. You’ve been warned!
9 out of 10
Label: Cruz del Sur Music
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Iron Maiden, Riot