MEGA COLOSSUS Showdown CD (SEALED)

2024 CRUZ DEL SUR

On their fourth full-length Showdown, Mega Colossus matches epic metal grandeur with the hooks and melodies from Rainbow and Kansas! Sometimes, a good classic movie reference is all you need. Case in point, Mega Colossus guitarist/vocalist Bill Fischer who compares the band’s new Showdown studio album to its 2021 Riptime predecessor with a nod to an iconic series from the 1980s: “Showdown is to Riptime as Temple of Doom is to Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Fischer is spot on. Showdown takes Mega Colossus’s brand of triumphant, big melodic metal to new heights without forgetting where the band came from. It’s like the perfect sequel — but better! Mega Colossus was originally formed in 2004 as simply “Colossus” by vocalist Sean Buchanan and Fischer. The band became a fixture on the East Coast live scene, including appearances at the famed South by Southwest festival in 2008 and 2009. The group issued its first album, ..And the Rift of the Pan-Dimensional Undergods in 2008, followed by the addition of drummer Doza Mendoza and the Drunk On Blood EP in 2010, then the …And the Sepulcher of the Mirror Warlocks EP in 2012. Upon learning of another outfit named Colossus, Buchanan and crew requested a battle of the bands to determine the name’s rightful owner. However, the “other” Colossus declined and Mega Colossus was born in 2016 as an ode to Godzilla and fantasy books. The HyperGlaive album followed in 2016, after which bassist/vocalist Anthony Micale joined in 2017. The V album was released in 2019, leading to the arrival of guitarist/vocalist Chris Millard in 2021 in time for the Riptime LP. Recorded with Al Jacob at Warrior Sound in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in early 2023, Showdown catches Mega Colossus in full stride, expanding upon its template of dueling twin-guitar harmonies and gallops. Buchanan’s vocals (think of him somewhere between Diamond Head’s Sean and Harris and Dragonforce’s Marc Hudson) are strident and effortless, carrying forth grandiose, bold choruses that even possess the occasional Styx reference. But above all else, Showdown is the amalgamation of five very different musicians with something unique to offer to Mega Colossus. It is no wonder, then, that Showdown has emerged as an epic display of uncanny and striking melodic metal, with all the depth and charisma of a band now entering its 20th year.