Mega Colossus is a five-piece Hard Rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Showdown is their fourth full-length LP. Displaying influences from the past, they bring a modern sound to an old-school style of music. You can hear the 70s and 80s in some of the song structures, but the overall sound is much more complex than that. The production and quality are definitely newer, though that is the digital version. The vinyl may very well have more of the classic sound from the bygone era. With two guitars and three voices, the leads and solos are complex and very well done. The rhythms are rock solid and provide a great foundation for the riffs and vocals.

https://colossusmetal.bandcamp.com/

Band Members:

  • Sean Buchanan – Vocals
  • Bill Fischer – Guitar/Vocals
  • Chris Millard – Guitar/Vocals
  • Anthony Micale – Bass
  • Doza Mendoza – Drums

Release Date:

January 26, 2024 – Cruz Del Sur Music

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/

Tracklist:

  1. Fortune and Glory
  2. Outrun Infinity
  3. Grab the Sun
  4. Showdown
  5. Wicked Road
  6. Take to the Skies

Six songs, 38 minutes. Mega Colossus likes to write longer pieces where they get to play around with transitions and shifts. Not like Progressive Rock where you get lost when they take a left turn the wrong way down a one-way street; just having different melodies for the chorus, bridge, and verse. The tuning is fairly standard and the riffs are catchy as hell! Most of the choruses are pretty straightforward and will be great for singalong times when on stage. Having three voices at their disposal, they can weave together some excellent vocal tones to craft a bigger, bolder sound.

Their tempos vary from song to song and often within a single song. Mega Colossus can alter their speed without any loss of cohesiveness to the track. The way they move in and out of the shifts on many a chorus on this record showcases this. Two songs that exemplify those changes are “Fortune And Glory” and “Grab the Sun.” The way Mega Colossus weaves through those tempo shifts is some of the more spectacular in the Hard Rock style. I feel like they could cross over into Prog Rock with the greatest of ease, and if they do, I will happily listen to that as well.

Mega Colossus is one of those bands that can do a lot more than what they do. With their ability to use three-part harmonies vocally and their knack for engineering the time and tempo changes, they could go full Progressive Rock. This is not a suggestion. They have a clearly defined sound that fits them beautifully, and I would never deign to tell someone what they should do or how they should play their music, but I do recognize the skill.

Lyrically, they cover a lot of ground, hitting on emotional themes that are fairly universal in the human condition. The desire for recognition, to be acknowledged as good at something, the desire to soar above and maybe even exceed your own expectations, and the ability to face and overcome the challenges of life and human relations are among the topics covered. You will readily find something you can relate to somewhere in one of these songs, likely in all of them if you’re as old and “wise” as me (don’t laugh…). I’m more than happy to have come across a record that hits me like this one does.

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

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

Overall – 9.00