Allen - Lande - The Showdown FLAC

Recognizing a good thing when they see it, Frontiers has once again brought together vocalists Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jorn Lande (Masterplan, ex-more bands than you can count), as well as guitarist/songwriter Magnus Karlsson (Starbreaker, Primal Fear) for another titanic Allen-Lande collaboration, The Showdown.

I'm a huge Jorn fan (Allen is no slouch either), and am also a major fan of just about everything Magnus Karlsson touches, so I'm completely biased when I say that I absolutely love this album. The Showdown is full of great guitar hooks, amazing melodies, plenty of keyboards, and some truly incredible vocal performances. It's always great to hear Russell Allen outside of the heavier, more progressive Symphony X, and he's got a real gift for this kind of melodic hard rock/metal. Of course, Jorn was born to sing this kind of music, and he totally dominates the album with his captivating Dio-meets-Coverdale voice.

There isn't anything on this album that you haven't already heard on The Battle and The Revenge. It follows the same formula, so it's essentially more of the same. Of course, "the same" is so much fun I can't consider that a bad thing. Magnus Karlsson knows how to write catchy and moving melodic metal songs, and he knows how to get the best out of Russell Allen and Jorn Lande, and he does both on The Showdown. Adding Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69) as producer is just the icing on the cake, as he has an amazing talent for fine-tuning this kind of music.

The Showdown is another must-have melodic metal album, and is a late contender for album of the year. If you're a fan of Russell Allen, buy this album. If you're a fan of Jorn Lande, buy this album. If you enjoy top quality melodic metal bands like Pretty Maids, Last Tribe, Pink Cream 69 and Starbreaker, you absolutely must buy this album. It may not offer anything new, but it's still amazing.