Showdown

North Carolina's Mega Colossus and its as-great sister band Knightmare comprise a rarefied type of intensely melodic and tightly driven guitar bands worth slipping, Mickie style, to doubting naysayers who think all heavy metal is aimed at brutish, unrefined or socially malformed meat heads, whilst in truth, the eternally globe quaking art form is both soul edifying and life affirming. In other words, anyone with the slightest musical bone in their body will moon flip out of pure ear bound joy upon sampling its latest masterpiece, the seasoned Raleigh quintet's fourth album titled Showdown, released in January under most diligent Italian label Cruz Del Sur.

In fact, its six extensively riffed tracks, which all breach the lofty five minute mark (while keeping total runtime down to a svelte, just under forty minutes) are so dense and packed with intricacies and nuances that on first listen, it was almost too much, making me shelve it for a spell...until our esteemed pal below rushed it back to the for(g)e, thereby compelling me to slap on the ole headphones and give it another go. Suffice to say, it rules, and I'm kicking myself now for sitting on it for so long.

As with Knightmare - of which I highly recommend 2018's Walk In The Fire, Mega Colossus also features pleasantly accessible vocals, courtesy of front man Sean Buchanan (whereas bassist Anthony Micale genially takes possession of the not-so-bony microphone, Knightmare side). Drummer Doza Mendoza's style is brisk and compact, reminding me of similarly dry, mid-to-fast tempo beats of Bible Of The Devil's Greg Spalding. Dual axe druids Bill Fischer and Chris Millard are aflame, easily making it their best work, in a distinctively synchronized and colourful manner bringing to mind a heavenly cross between '80s Ozzy Osbourne and '00s Orange Goblin. On bass, Anthony exudes the same fluidly creative motion as legendary god Steve Harris.

To say the least, it'd be foolish to abscond on the combustive and expressive likes of "Fortune And Glory", "Outrun Infinity" (in the time machine of your choosing), "Showdown" and "Wicked Road". Each song radiates top shelf instrumental wizardry, but those are my favourites, especially "Showdown". A heartfelt "Wow!" is all I can muster in its too-good-to-be-real-ness. It's out of this World, not as a figure of speech, but in deadpan truth. Again, re-gleaning Mega Colossus's stratospheric Showdown made my day and I guarantee it'll make yours as well if you give it a chance. (It's so rad it might even make your year.)

Mega Colossus is a band seemingly designed to remind us all the heavy metal is supposed to be fun. In contrast to other groups who express this through gimmicks or irony-poisoned meta humor, their method is decidedly more straightforward: write lyrics about your favorite movies set to the sort of riffs and choruses that trigger the same “hell yeah” part of your brain as hearing Iron Maiden for the first time. While Showdown doesn’t differ too much from their past efforts in this regard, it may be their strongest execution to date.

The opening “Fortune and Glory” certainly doesn’t write time in establishing the tone. Fitting for a song chronicling the globe-trotting of Indiana Jones, the track is an infectiously exuberant anthem with upbeat progressions bolstered by driving rhythms and flailing trade-off leads while the vocals are layered in just the right way to encourage some hearty sing-alongs. The production is polished without feeling too pristine and the energetic musicianship keeps the band’s everyman demeanor from coming off too plain.

Subsequent songs generally keep to the same mold but the well-managed structures combined with a snappy thirty-seven minutes runtime keep them from feeling too interchangeable. I can get into the sinister edge on the Fury Road-inspired “Grab The Sun” with its dramatic bookending harmonies, lower chorus vocals, and choppy gallops almost dipping into thrash territory before an uplifting finish. “Wicked Road” is another staple with hooks to die for, coming the closest to slowing down the proceedings though its more subdued verses still maintains a determined pace that builds up to the album’s most inescapable earworm.

With Mega Colossus existing in one form or another for nearly two decades now, it’s nice to see them still being able to enjoy themselves on Showdown. While the off-the-wall structures and involved musicianship suggest more than mindless fun at play, the earnest positivity and near-constant catchiness ensure that accessibility remains a top priority. It’s the sort of heavy metal adventure that rewards listeners who’ve been here before while also invite those unacquainted to hop on the ride.