Indiana-based DownShift is a five-piece Hard Rock band that likes to blend Rock with Blues rhythms and Groove riffs to fill the soundscape with a glorious noise. Catchy hooks and easy-to-sing choruses round out the music portion while gritty lead vocals and well-placed backing vocals bring the songs full circle, rounding out the tracks with a nice full sound. Formed in the time of a global pandemic, this project almost failed to materialize, but perseverance, determination, and belief in the music kept them going. The result is One In The Chamber, an 11-song album that is worth taking the time to explore. There is a lot to discover here, so take some time and just enjoy a cool Hard Rock album.

https://www.downshiftmusic.com/

Band Members:

  • Jordan Payne – Vocals/Guitar
  • Aaron Parrett – Guitars
  • Clayton Barber – Guitars
  • Austin Ellison – Bass
  • Jordan McAdams – Drums/Backing Vocals

Release Date:

November 17, 2023

Self-Released

Tracklist:

  1. Give It To You
  2. Bombs Away
  3. Lose It
  4. Never Gonna
  5. Here We Come
  6. Ready To Run
  7. Bite The Barrel
  8. One In The Chamber
  9. Nothing To Lose
  10. Terminal
  11. One Of A Kind

This album is all about the radio-friendly tunes meant to catch you from the opening riff. If you lived through, kind of remember, or are just a fan of 80s Hard Rock, this is a record you will want in your collection. The “Give It To You” riff is a great example. The throaty vocals and solid rhythm accentuate the guitar work, which tends to shine through much of the time since there are two, and sometimes three, guitars going at the same time. The frenzied lead work that shows through in so many places adds a killer tone to each track.

“Bombs Away” and “Lose It’ both continue the trend. By the third song, you know exactly who DownShift is and what they want to sound like. There is no questioning their sound or what they want to say. Clean vocals with a nice gritty tone and excellent enunciation let you hear the lyrics clearly. This is especially important around the chorus for each song as they know you will be yelling it back to them anytime they take the stage. This is a band you will interact with on almost every live song.

With every song hitting the 3–4 minute mark, they are all quick, easy-to-digest rockers with catchy lyrics that bring tons of attitude to the table. I would have to say that the only thing this album might be lacking is a Power Ballad. The typical 80s album had at least one and even many of the modern rock bands have kept that tradition alive. DownShift defies this and just powers through with 11 bangers. Not having a Power Ballad does not diminish the overall impact of this record.

Records like this tend to make me a bit nostalgic, so missing the Power Ballad is my issue, not something the band does wrong. This is a very solid album with a ton of great music on it. If you love guitar-driven albums, this is one you will get lost in, letting it play over and over as you work, drive, or just relax from a long day at work.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 10
  •             Rhythms – 9
  •             Vocals – 9
  • Songwriting – 9
  • Production – 9

Overall – 9.20