Rock/Melodic hard rock
Some of you may remember the Scottish band Gun, a relative late-comer to the late 80s hard rock scene, whose debut album featured some great cuts like “Better Days” and “Inside Out”. It was a stunning debut that did well in the UK, but failed to find the band a big audience in the US. They’ve had a steady stream of follow-ups, most notably “Swagger”, which featured an awesome cover of Cameo’s funk hit “Word Up!”, and now they are back with a new record called “Break The Silence”.
“Break The Silence” is a marked detour for the band – they’ve changed singers and their general music direction. While the first two cuts sound like B-side classics from the Gun we used to know, the rest of the album is top notch melodic hard rock with a huge emphasis on the pop side of the coin. Gun did not recruit a new mate to the fold, but rather handed over the vocal duties to bassist Dante Gizzi (who has also done side work in the glam rock band El Presidente). Dante’s vocals fit the new sound well, possessing enough grit to be mistaken for former frontman Mark Rankin, with a touch of Axl Rose for good measure.
The band sings about a “brand new sound” on track 3, “Lost & Found”, and this is where the album really begins for me. From here on out, we’re treated to the new Gun sound, which keeps sharp choruses that you won’t forget front and center. Nearly every song sounds like it was produced to be a single, with all sorts of bells and whistles including lush orchestration or amazing harmony vocals by Catrin Wyn Southall. Additional highlights include “Caught In The Middle”, “Running Out Of Time”, and the title track. “How Many Roads” is the featured ballad this time out, which sways and swaggers with style and grace.
This is Gun reloaded with silver bullets – if you need a shot of melodic hard rock, Gun will satisfy and then some. Definitely one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve heard all year.
Gun – Official site.
1 comment:
A shiver runs down my spine every time a reviewer mentions the word 'pop' in relation to GUN. From being a great rock band it's really sad to see them lose the soul, energy and feeling from their music by going down the pop route... Eagerly awaited a rocking return from GUN but felt like a burst balloon when I heard this album, really disappointing. They should have released it under Dante's band name of El Presidente.
Post a Comment