I've written a few times now on the blog about the ineffable quality of "fun" and its special importance for heavy metal. To summarize my ideas, when you're making a style of music that both puts simplicity at its front and, perhaps relatedly, hasn't really evolved by definition since its inception, the delivery of that style is crucial. This "delivery" is very hard to define. While there are many "measurable" things we could point to that separate good and bad heavy metal releases, what remains is a massive part of that judgement that can be categorized as passion, fun, groove, etc. These are unquantifiable elements and, as a result, your mileage can, and will, vary greatly. One man's rocking, romping good time is another's snooze fest.
The funny thing is that these differences can manifest within one band's discography and it's really hard to say exactly why and when. In fact, the more unapologetic the band is in their brand of "good ol'" heavy metal, the more important these elusive traits are. Mega Colossus are very unapologetic in their approach to heavy metal. Showdown, their 2024 release, carried this approach with aplomb. The solos were brilliant, the lyrics were silly fun (running the gamut between fantasy tropes and early Iron Maiden "we're coming to get you" bravado), and the whole thing just reeked with that passion that makes or breaks a heavy metal album.
On Watch Out!, their 2026 release, everything seems to be the same and business, as usual, is good. But something is missing, something that's very hard for me to really describe. When we array all the elements, everything is here: the riffs are still ripping and roaring; "Battlefront", the second track and one of the leading singles from the album, is a good example. It's bouncy, catchy, and begs to be sung. But is it really sung? Does any part of it leap like "Grab the Sun", my favorite from Showdown? Not really. Everything seems fine but when the track is over, I find myself already moving on, waiting for Mega Colossus to grab my attention.
They do a bit better at other points on the album, like on standout "The Halls of Mystikos", my favorite from this release. But that's one track and the rest of it, unfortunately, just sort of blends together for me. As I mentioned above, it's hard for me to say why. If you're sitting down to listen to this album with a checklist of things you need from a heavy metal album, you'll find it all here. But when the formula comes together, some variable is left over, awkwardly jutting out or, rather, blending in. I'm missing that moment where my neck spins around, where my attention is grabbed, either by some great, moving vocal line, or by a cool idea for a riff or a lick.
Bottom line, if you're looking for good heavy metal then Mega Colossus still have the goods. But I'll be reaching for Showdown over Watch Out! nine times out of ten even though I couldn't tell you for the life of me quite why. Watch Out! is just missing that "it" factor for me and sometimes that's all it takes for me to hit next.