Holy Mackerel! The Showdown is one of [insert synonym for “brutal” here] Christian melodic metal bands that I’ve ever heard, and that’s no exaggeration. Much in the same way that non-Christians don’t care that Zao & Living Sacrifice are Christian, similar feelings will come about after listening to “A Chorus of Obliteration.” These guys have an ultra thick, crunchy guitar tone that sounds quite similar to Metallica’s guitar tone on “Master of Puppets.” The riffs that these guys come up with are really quite traditional thrash metal, sounding like updated versions of classic Maiden stuff (they also sound a lot like Enter My Silence’s guitar riffs). The vocalist is a really powerful barker, and he can sing, too, as he does from time to time. Some fans of Christian metal may liken The Showdown to early Underoath stuff, thanks to the vocalist. My only gripe with these guys would be how buried the drums are. He’s doing some really awesome stuff, but it’s hard to hear him! Overall, though, I must say that these guys rule, period.