Album Reviews | DownShift – One In The Chamber

DownShift
One In The Chamber
Out: 17. November 17^th, 2023
Playing time: 37:57

DownShift are the brainchild of singer and guitarist Jordan Payne and guitarist Aaron Parrett. Both hail from the US state of Indiana. I couldn’t find any information about the founding year of DownShift. Only that the line-up was complete in autumn 2022. The debut album “One In The Chamber” was released in October.

The opener “Give It To You” starts with hard-hitting riffing. The twin guitars really come into their own. This is followed by the rhythmic “Bombs Away”. Mainly thanks to the accentuated drumming. Of course, a guitar solo is a must have. A word about singer Jordan Payne, he has a slightly raspy voice with a recognisable quality. Heavily distorted guitars open “Lose It”. With a Blues Rock flavour. “Never Gonna” rocks straight forward, driven by guitar riffs. Then the vocals are toned down a little. The good old Rock’n’Roll comes into its own in “Here We Come”. The song moves in the mid-tempo range, with another Blues-Rock quote. “Ready To Run” lives up to its title. A fast Rock song. “Bite The Barrel” sounds darker. Here, band leader Jordan Payne reflects on a dark period in his life. The title track “One In The Chamber” spreads a whiskey-soaked atmosphere, which contrasts with the brilliant guitar solo. “Nothing To Lose” then pushes forward again, characterised by fast riffs and driving drums. “Terminal” picks up a little more speed. Once again, the riffs dominate and of course, once again, the guitar solo. Even the final song, “One Of A Kind”, doesn’t put things to rest with its Rock’n’Roll-triggered sound.

“One In The Chamber” is a more than solid debut album. Every single song has its very own atmosphere. DownShift can continue to work on this basis. We can certainly look forward to the follow-up.

Lineup:

Jordan Payne – Vocals, Guitar
Aaron Parrett – Guitar
Jordan McAdams – Drums, Backing Vocals
Austin Ellison – Bass
Clayton Barber – Guitar

Track list:

• Give It To You
• Bombs Away
• Lose It
• Never Gonna
• Here We Come
• Ready To Run
• Bite The Barrel
• One In The Chamber
• Nothing To Lose
• Terminal 
• One Of A Kind