Band:	Barcode
Album:	Showdown
Style:	Hardcore
Release date:	April 11, 2005
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Shots Out
02. Rise To Dignity
03. Showdown
04. For What it's Worth
05. Fanatics
06. End The War
07. No Lust For Life
08. Bad Standing
09. Drinkslinger
10. In The Pit
11. Make My Day
12. Padre Siffredi
13. Game Of The Lame
14. Stressed
15. Aggressive Grim Filthy
16. I'm A Rebel [Accept cover]

It's fast, it's tight, and it's Danish Hardcore with Barcode.
Now, I'm no sucker for the alternative music, such as Nu-Metal, Hardcore, Metalcore and what the hell all the genres are named, so this shouldn't probably not be reviewed by me.
But actually, this album really surprised me, when listening to it the very first time.

Barcode's history reaches over ten years back in time, and with four full-length album behind them, before this one, this piece of band are no beginners, they have been around for some time and knows what they have to do to earn their respect.

Recorded in Jailhouse Studios, produced by dr. J and mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen,
"Showdown" is Barcode's fifth full-length album, their first on Germanys largest label, Nuclear Blast, a great opportunity for Barcode to be spread wider across the world.
But as I said, I'm no fan of Hardcore and alike, so I didn't really expect anything. But when I putted it in my player I was almost stunned by the tight play, there guys can really play together.
Otherwise I was pretty much what I suspected, it's fast and pretty heavy Hardcore with absolutely no calm parts.
The songs are way to alike each other, and with 16 songs clocking in on 34 minutes, you might understand that this is short but intense songs.

But their tight playing and sense of playing I've to say that this is way much better than I ever thought.
I'm not going to worship them or anything, but I've to say that it was better than expected and Barcode deserve to be heard.
So if you're into Hardcore and want fast and tight much, try Barcode's "Showdown", even a Metalhead like myself finds some joy in it.

Check Out: "Showdown", "No Lust for Life" & "I'm a Rebel".