Southern boys The Showdown decided to take things in a totally different direction on their latest album, 'Temptation Come My Way'. While their previous album was in the same realm as the likes of Evergreen Terrace, and older Avenged Sevenfold, 'Temptation Come My Way' sees the band completely abandoning their entire Gothenburg/Metalcore inspired sound in favor of a more direct, southern fried hard rock approach.
Album opener "Fanatics And Whores" comes in sounding like a song that could easily be found on any given Black Label Society, including lots of the guitar harmonic wankery that Zakk Wylde is rather infamous for. This song also sets the tone for the rest of the album.
"Head Down" kicks in with a drum/cowbell intro, and guitar melody that sounds like a shameless homage to 80's rockers Def Leppard. Once the music really kicks in though, the band takes on a more of a Nickelback approach, sounding alot like them as well. "Six Feet Under" and "We Die Young" however, find the band coming into their own to a degree with their new musical direction. Solid hard rock, with David Bunton finally straying far enough from his influences to showcase his own vocal style.
"Breath Of The Swamp" takes the band into the territory of Corrosion of Conformity. Once again sacrificing his own vocal identity, Bunton comes off sounding like Pepper Keenan. The band likewise sounds like latter day Corrosion, with a slightly metallic aggression. "It Drinks From Me" is another Nickelback attack, only this time taken a step further, with the chorus to this song sounding almost exactly like the chorus from Nickelback's "Follow You Home". Whether this was intentionally done or not is completely up for debate.
The albums title track is extremely reminiscent of Down, with a guitar scream in the intro that immediately brings to mind Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P.). Once again, Bunton comes in with his best attempt at nailing the vocal style of Pepper Keenan. The most welcome surprise on this album is the cover of the Kansas classic "Carry On My Wayward Son". The band does plenty of justice to the song, but manage to add their own little flair to it, so as not to make a pointless carbon copy of the song.
