Review Summary: Truly a heavy metal band to Watch Out for
Nothing could ever truly diminish Mega Colossus’s high-flying energy, but their fifth album is a moody listen by their standards. The cover art has a much darker color palette than one used to seeing from them and a title like Watch Out! is vaguely threatening even when it’s also pretty in character for their take charge sense of adventure (I like to think they got it from a random shout in a Dio song). The musicianship is as blazing and determined as ever, but one can sense them finding ways to play with the boundaries of their songwriting.
This is immediately demonstrated by the first three first songs fixating on the band’s more aggressive speeds. A track like “The Bad Thing” may be a little on the note in how it introduces the vibe shift, especially with that very Mercyful Fate-evoking plod at the beginning, but the furious gallops, atmospheric swells, and slight snarl in the vocals ensure an impactful start. “Battlefront” and “Tag In Your Friend” keep the fast momentum chugging along, standing out for their catchy gang shouted choruses and guitar work that seems to get progressively brighter.
From there, the bulk of Watch Out! shows off the band’s longer form compositions as the subsequent songs hover around the seven-eight minute mark. While the fluctuating dynamics risk diminishing the album’s energy, I find that they also provide opportunities to highlight their varying personalities. “Good Hunting” moves from a Thin Lizzy-tinged shuffle to an almost spacey climax kept cohesive by the power metal optimism that would help fit right in on 2024’s Showdown. “Here Lies You” contrasts with a largely scaled back execution that has enough wistfulness in its bygone folkish musing to keep from slipping into depressing nostalgia balladry.
Even with these moody considerations, Watch Out! is still packed with the sort of quality fun that heavy metal listeners have come to expect from Mega Colossus. While the sense that a couple songs could’ve been trimmed makes it feel like a slight step down from its predecessor, the songwriting offers enough initial catchiness and dimension to make the extra listens to absorb that much more satisfying. Anybody who isn’t already aware of Mega Colossus will find them to truly be a band to Watch Out for.
..I’ll see myself out.
