Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23]
Since Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis buried the hatchet back in 2016 they have released four studio and two live albums in what can only be described as somewhat of a purple patch. The latest, ‘Black Diamonds’, has been described by the band themselves as their best album in years, and as a big fan of the band, I have to agree it is right up there.
Produced by founding member and guitarist Tracii Guns, the album is a nod back to the classic sound of L.A. Guns whilst still sounding like the current band. ‘Shattered Glass’ and ‘Wrong About You’ are great examples of this, with ‘Babylon’ (full of sleaze) and ‘Crying’ (full of swagger) having a feel of the band’s 1994 ‘Vicious Circle’ album.
There are some rather clever lyrics on ‘Black Diamonds’ and for a great example of this, look no further than ‘Lowlife’. For me though, the track I keep coming back to is ‘Got It Wrong’.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an L.A. Guns album without a solid ballad being on there and this is taken care of in the shape of ‘Diamonds’and another fine set of lyrics it contains too. ‘Gonna Lose’ has a great Led Zeppelin vibe to it, whilst opening track ‘You Betray’ has a vocal from Lewis that defies the laws of aging as this sounds like a band a fraction of their age.
‘Black Diamonds’ is an album that is crammed with great guitars, nods to fans favourite tracks from the past, and an overwhelming feeling that this rejuvenated band could roll on and on. *****
Review by Nikk Gunns
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
RIOGHAN Hands (Inverse Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)