Artist Info:Discography Album length: 3 tracks: 10 minutes, 11 seconds Street Date: September 18, 2007
After The Showdown's first two albums, A Chorus of Obliteration and Temptation Come My Way, the
Tennessee natives dug up some b-sides from their sophomore record. Released on Myspace and iTunes, the Feel Like Hell EP is
three tracks of solid metal.
A standout trait of The Showdown's approach to the songs on this EP, as well as the previous records, is that they complement
their screaming vocal style with actual singing, in a classic Southern rock form. This time around, however, they actually scream very
little, resulting in an interesting mix of grinding guitars and vocals. The first song on the album, also the title track, starts
off with excellent metal sounds and blends into driving vocals. The rest of the EP, tracks "Snake in the Grass" and "When it all Comes
Down," tend to blend together and really aren't anything special, although both songs are a bit reminiscent of 80's hair metal.
Lyrically, The Showdown has said in the past that they attempt to put Biblical references in their music. It seemed that none
were adamantly present on Feel Like Hell. In this EP, there's really nothing to separate The Showdown from any other of
their mainstream metal counterparts. For instance, in "When it all Comes Down," there isn't a distinction between singing merely
about temptation, or giving into it. Also, does the title refer to Hell as the opposite of Heaven, or does it simply describe
the mood of the album or band?
The band's intentions may be clear to most, or just to them, but the EP still wins despite the ambiguity of its lyrics.
At eye level, Feel Like Hell EP is a good listen, though it may not be the deepest Christian metal album out there.
- Review date: 10/28/07, written by Garrett DeRossett
Record Label: Mono Vs. Stereo
Album length: 3 tracks: 10 minutes, 11 seconds
Street Date: September 18, 2007
Buy It:iTunes Music Store
Record Label: Mono Vs. Stereo
