Browbeat – The Showdown EP
Browbeat – The Showdown EP
Self-Released
Release Date: 22/01/22
Running Time: 14:08
Review by Beth Jones
8/10
I have come across a lot of great bands from Italy, but it’s fair to say that they’re predominantly Power Metal or Classic Heavy Metal Bands, so I was fairly surprised to discover that Metalcore 5-piece, Browbeat, were Italian. I was also surprised to know that, with the exception of an extended hiatus, they’ve actually been around since 1998! How have I missed them?! Especially as they’ve been back since 2017!
This new EP, “The Showdown” is their first release since 2019, and it really does pack some punch. It’s full of the 90s sound, but with a current modern metal twang. It makes some clever use of spoken word samples to open and close the EP, and is a pacey, anger fuelled 14 minutes of music. To be honest, I’d have liked it to be a little longer, as there is some really quality stuff here. Super barked rap vocals, complete with growls, alongside punishing drums, and some epic guitar riffs.
There are also some nods to bigger bands of the 90s, which pleases me, because love them or hate them, the 90s were my formative years and I actually liked a lot of the Nu sounds that started then. The first obvious nod is with a cover of Sepultura’s ‘Slave New World’ which is done very well. But there’s also a more subtle nod to Rage Against The Machine – a band who shared the same anti-establishment views as Browbeat – within the EP Title Track; The chorus of this being predominantly lyrically the same as the all time RATM classic, ‘Killing In The Name’, just with a different rhythm.
The tone of the instruments helps to give this EP a more modern sound. It’s quite metallic, and almost Industrial in its production, which works surprisingly well with the angry vocals and crashing rhythms. My only real criticism aside from the EP being a bit on the short side, is that I’m not a massive fan of the mix. The guitars are too far back in it, and get overpowered by the drums and vocals at times.
Aside from that, though, this is a great little EP, and if you liked the 90s angry Crossover/Metalcore/ Rap Metal sound, akin to Hatebreed and early Machine Head, then you need to throw on a bit of this EP to bring the glory days back to life!
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Real Face
02. The Showdown
03. The Call Of Falldown
04. Slave New World (Sepultura Cover)
05. Bleeding Age (Outro)
LINE-UP:
M.V. – Vocals
Luca Cocconi – Guitar, Choir
Matteo Usberti – Guitar
Mirco Bennati – Bass, Choir
Nicholas Badiali – Drums
LINKS:
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