by Brian D. Holland.

Temptation Come My Way, the sophomore release from The Showdown, is contagiously likable. There’s no room for softness here, though, and no room for sensitivity. As David Bunton, frontman for The Showdown, puts it: "We’re just trying to bring back masculine. We’re trying to take the sensitive guy out and bring the bad boy back." There just may be a lot of sense to that line of thinking. We are swathed in a gentle pop culture these days, one in which a good portion of the rock is thin skinned and excessively mild. That’s okay; melodic soft rock and lovely ballads are soothing and heart warming. However, sometimes we just wanna ROCK!

Temptation Come My Way is a collection of raucous and vicious songs, yet all memorable and catchy. The band exerts electricity that’s hot wired and explosive, propelled by guitar angst and sonic thunder. Their style possesses hints of Metallica, Three Doors Down, Maiden, and more, and it pulls the listener in with Sabbath and Black Label Society flavored riffs. This is immediately noticeable in the opener, ‘Fanatics and Whores’. ‘Forget My Name’, my personal favorite, is a rock anthem for the times, as its muscle and hard rhythmic drive is downright awe-inspiring. You don’t often hear such high levels of excitement in rock these days, be it hard or metal. In a time when metal bands are recording interesting covers of classic rock songs, like the Disturbed cover of Geneses’ ‘Land Of Confusion’, an interesting cover of Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ is done here, in interesting Showdown fashion.

The Showdown spent more than two years putting this collection together. Its perfection in production is obvious. Producer Paul Ebersold appears to have outdone himself. Fans of all styles of rock can find enjoyment in Temptation Come My Way. There’s a little for everyone in the album’s classic rock, metal and hard rock influences.

Temptation Come My Way Track Listing

1. Fanatics And Whores

2. Head Down

3. Six Feet Under

4. We Die Young

5. Breath Of The Swamp

6. It Drinks From Me

7. Temptation Come My Way

8. Forget My Name

9. Spiting In The Wind

10. I, Victim (Here’s To The Year)

11. Carry On Wayward Son

12. Death Finds Us Breathing

Label: Mono Vs Stereo

The Showdown:
David Bunton: vocals
Josh Childers: guitars, vocals
Travis Bailey: guitars, vocals
Eric Koruschak: bass, vocals
A.J. Barett: drums

Links
The Showdown
Temptation Come My Way on Amazon.com