Gun – ‘Hombres’

(Cooking Vinyl)

Gun are one of my favourite bands and they always transport me back to my youth. ‘Swagger’ which celebrates it’s 30-year anniversary this year is one of my all-time classic albums and it made me an ardent fan of these Scottish hard rockers. I always enjoy what these guys offer and its beyond fantastic that they are still going, even with all the trouble they had to find a replacement for the incredible Mark Rankin – which would have seen many bands close the book on staying active.

I was excited to hear what the Gizzi brothers had up their sleeve with ‘Hombres’ and I was not disappointed and not only does it honour the bands heritage but it also proudly adds to the band’s legacy. Its Anthemic Hard Rock full of sing-along choruses and infectious guitar riffs it’s an all-round kick ass Rock and Roll album that screams “Crank Me Up” from the get go! It’s classic Gun and many of these tunes would sit easily on any of the band’s first three albums, which I’m sure would please a lot of nostalgia lovers. The band are still adding modern and fresh new twists to their song writing but it’s not obtrusive and means these songs do not deviate to far from what fans have loved before whilst keeping music fresh and exciting for them to create and perform.

I think Dante Gizzi is underrated and a greatly underappreciated vocalist, he’s far better than many give him credit for. He definitely has the spirit and sound of classic Gun. His deep emotive tone really resonates with me and I think he’s the perfect frontman for the band. There may be better all-round vocalists out there, but they’ll never be Mark Rankin but Dante has the soul of Gun in his performances and that’s what’s needed to keep Gun alive!

As an established fan ‘Hombres’ is exactly the sort of thing I want from Gun. After My first listen I was left with a huge satisfied smile and after repeat listens, I continued to appreciate and more importantly enjoy what the band have crafted for our aural pleasure. Gun have managed to create another hit album and one that rubs shoulders with their beloved classics with ease. Gun is no nostalgia act living of past glories they’ve still got something to say, so strap on your air guitars, raise your voices and enjoy this one loud as loud can be!

9/10

Essential Track - 'All Fired Up'

Review by Woody