About The Showdown

Metal—the one word that describes The Showdown. Emerging from Elizabethton, Tennessee this five-piece band has crafted an epic heavy metal sound for listeners who enjoy their music relentless.  Their music spans styles ranging from American southern rock to European death. Lyrically their melodies sing of heroism, sojourns and battles of life.

Their debut album titled "A Chorus Of Obliteration" was produced by Bruce Fitzhugh (lead singer of Living Sacrifice) and released in 2004.  It showcases a sound that will appeal to fans of Shadows Fall and Lamb Of God.

“On Temptation Come My Way” (2007), the band more than ups the ante.  With over two years in its creation, the production, provided by Paul Ebersold (Three doors Down, Saliva) is huge, and reminiscent of a different era. A better era. An era when it was about songs, not just brutality. There is as much classic metal influence as there is heavy rock. Think Iron Maiden, pre-Load Metallica, and Stone Temple Pilots.  Dramatic song writing, that is not just seventeen riffs, randomly pieced together, with a fifteen-word song title. Six of the twelve tracks even have cowbell and every song has an epic guitar solo.

The deepest parts of the Showdown's hearts are for the changed lives of all they come in contact with. It is this spiritual fervor that gives their band life beyond just powerful music, and it is exemplified in their lyrics. On 'We Die Young,' the band confronts the idea of the 'live fast' mentality, proclaiming that there is something more to live for: 'Are you satisfied? Do you feel alive? Tired tongue and aching chest. What it takes outdoes your best. Death redraws the line... Do you feel alive?' < And on 'It Drinks From Me' a warning against addiction is given: 'Love ain't the bottom of the bottle, cause love is in the aftermath. But love is easier to swallow than giving up and looking back. It drinks from me and I'm through.' Finally, on the title track, the confrontation of weakness and vice is the major theme: 'Hey, hey, you are the storm and the sun will drown. I love to love the way that you let me down. And if I ever strut bring me right back down. Remind me today that temptation's still in town.'

Guitarist/lyricist Josh Childers states, ' if you really want to affect people you have to be honest, all the flowery phrases and big words in the world won't make one bit of difference if it's not from the gut. The lyrics on this album recount the last several years, good times, bad times, all of it. It may not always read this way, but it's about overcoming, about going through the tunnel and coming out as determined as ever to see the thing through. Temptation and everything else came at us and we're still here, so bring it on.'

The band's next release, "Back Breaker" (2008) has them playing heavy music the way it was meant to be played--fast, loud, fun, and real. One brush with them live or on record and you will meet a band that has something that most don't. "We are about power, fire, pyro, oil, rocks, and heavy," adds bass player Eric Koruschak. "Whether than means rolling around town on our dirt bikes, hauling our twenty five foot trailer to a show, or starting a barbeque in a random parking lot, we want to have fun and take it to the extreme on and off the road. And our live show is 110%, 110% of the time. But we aren't about the party as a means to escape. We have joy because we have truth, and because we have been blessed. It isn't drugs and girls and alcohol, but a genuine love of life because of our blessings that gives us our attitude."