THE SHOWDOWN

Be wary of what you read in band biographies. I hate to pick on any single band too much, as every act wants to present its music in the best light possible, but in the case of Tennessee's THE SHOWDOWN, there is a little too much hyperbole and not nearly enough fact. And for Christ's sake, don't use terms like "brutal" when it doesn't fit the kind of sometimes rockin' and big riff choked, but mostly vanilla and radio-friendly, southern-tinged rock on "Temptation Come My Way". ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, or even BRAND NEW SIN for that matter, this is not. Quoting from vocalist David Bunton, "We're just trying to bring back masculine. We're trying to take the sensitive guy out, and bring the bad boy back. Just watch MTV or Fuse and they are littered with music videos of dudes who look like they are scared to be in their own band. It's all about star power, and no one has it anymore." I'll stop there and get on with it, but I just couldn't leave that one out as the segue to an album that is tolerable and even catchy at times, but barely resembles, the down 'n' dirty, whiskey-swillin' and southern fried metal that it purports to be.

As for taking the sensitive guy out of heavy music, several of the more melodic songs on "Temptation Come My Way" may not contain the lyric fare of said "guys," but could surely pass as the latest melodic mall metal band on a label like Trustkill, or a band like NICKELBACK. Listening to tracks like "Head Down", "Six Feet Under", and "We Die Young" all I could think about is how well the tunes will fit with the numerous similar ones heard pumping out of MTV programs and junior high schools. Fortunately, the riffs and basic arrangements are pretty tough and fairly rocking, so it's not like I'm saying the material stinks, only that it is far more generic than what you may be led to believe. Hell, I don't even find the melodies to be repugnant, just not all that memorable. There is definitely a market for this kind of musical fare.

In all fairness, there are a few rockers on the album that approach the balls-out variety, including the BLS-riff-and-squeal of "Fanatics and Whores" and "Breath of the Swamp". Along the same lines, "Forget My Name" may be an early NICKELBACK style rocker, but it is a rocker just the same. But covering KANSAS' "Carry On Wayward Son" was not a good idea and the band's riff-based treatment does not serve the song well; it is one you will want to skip every time you spin the disc.

So my issue with "Temptation Come My Way" concerns pretending to be something that you are not. It is perfectly fine to be a hard rock band with an emphasis on melody and conventional songwriting (and it that regard, the album works at least some of the time). Just don't lead us to believe that the band members wake up every morning with a shot of bourbon before plugging into the amps and tearing through a rendition of MOLLY HATCHET's "Bounty Hunter".