Showdown

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.