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Review – Nostalgia in music is such a double edged sword. You have musicians who want to slap a band name on material and claim it to be theirs. We had Ratt and Bobby Blotzer going back and forth. We had Quiet Riot, Queensryche and many other bands doing it as well. I mean look at Jefferson Starship in 2020.They are putting out cds and touring, but they have not one original member. Yet, their claim to the name is that the original members who are still alive are writing the music.(Before people tell me that David Freiberg or Donnie Baldwin have been in the Starship band long enough to have the classification of being part of the original members. They are not original members and came in long after their success.)Back to the conversation of history and the nostalgic feel we get when we hear the band name. L.A. Guns, most metal fans loved the debut album. Some came aboard when the second record took off. I will even say that Vicious Circle was a great album as well. After Vicious Circle, we start to see the band want to be more modern.
They hired Chris Van Dahl to sing on American Hardcore. They wanted to wipe away their past and go more heavy and some may say modern. Somehow, as fast as that cd came out Chris was gone. Then they had Ralph Saenz come in for a drink of tea to do vocals. It was during this time that Jizzy Pearl was frustrated with his lack of success from Love/Hate, solo and his short lived author career and he took over the vocals. Before we talk about what came out of it. Jizzy Pearl to me is the perfect fit for what Tracii wanted from the album Shrinking Violet. The revolving door on L.A Guns was in and out by the second. The only constant was Steve Riley on drums. Now in 2020, we have two L.A Guns. Steve Riley along with original bassist Kelly Nickels have put out this cd that they want fans to buy as L.A. Guns. Riley and Nickles I assume recruited together the lineup of Scott Griffin who played bass for Ratt as their bassist and singer Kurt Frolich. I can clearly say that Frolich is a good singer. The vocals are a mix of sneering and very catchy. I hate to compare him to Phil Lewis, but that is what we have to do.
That is the unfair element of this cd. It is so unfair to a capable band to be under a moniker that people will form an opinion before they hear the first note or lyric. I will say that Griffin is a great bassist. His playing is both solid and has a personality all its own. If you followed Faster Pussycat or early Guns, you know that Nickels can deliver on guitar. He has this sick knack for playing these sick catchy riffs that get stuck in your head. Songs like “ Why Ask Why” really work in terms of the band wanting to come across as modern and new. “Well Oiled Machine” harkens back to old school days. It has such a sleazy feel and tone, that you applaud them for doing this. It keeps the sound simple but yet memorable. It is clear that Riley has been reading the Motley Crue and Bon Jovi playbook. You have so many songs that come across in that spirit. “ Lost Boys” being the perfect example. It feels so random and hokey. I get they have to make people feel that they should fight the establishment and society with a pitchfork and fury, but this song is so clearly redundant and just absurd with how we are today. Frolich does his best catchy chorus rendering but you can tell this one is for the live crowd. To get people to jump up and down to it. I just hope they realize that the fanbase coming to the show in the future may not be the kind to jump up and down or get in a mosh pit. You can assume that any version of L.A. Guns you get will have the power ballad. This is their bread and butter. “ You Can’t Walk Away” sounds like what the crowd for their upcoming show may hold a beer in one hand and a lighter in the other. I will say right now, “ Witchcraft” caught me by shock. This is a great song that I did not expect.
This song is the perfect example of what this band clearly can deliver. This just slams right into you and keeps moving while it stomps all over you. “ All That You Are” is a very good song as well. I can clearly see rock radio grabbing this song and wanting to expose it to as many people as possible. Those two songs remind me of how hungry this band once was. These songs are clearly a sign that this band was out for throats. “ Would” is another power ballad that just feels so flat and boring. I will say that Hollywood Vampires has soured me on this band ever doing power ballads no matter who is in the band. The cd ends with “ Don’t Wanna Know”. This is a tough one. You can clearly tell that Motley Crue inspired the majority of this record. This song though sounds like they copied the formula to the point that I felt this was Motley Crue version 2. I feel if this band was not named L.A. Guns, this cd would be treated differently. It is almost unfair to name it Renegades when the spirit of the titles is only on a couple of songs. This cd could have been called Copies and Clones and would have spoken volumes for what you would be hearing. I am not saying all the music on this cd is bad. Some of the music on here is actually good. The majority though is middle of the road to redundant. I feel this cd is not fair to true L.A. Guns fans. The same argument can be made for past releases that I loved like Shrinking Violet and Vicious Circle. Those also were not true L.A. Guns records as well. This though seems like a cash grab to get them on tours that fans may not know that there are two bands of the same name. You know radio ads are going to play the classic songs and not play the new album or tell them the new “ L.A. Guns”. So basically, for fans who do not know, you have someone who has no qualms about fucking you over for your cash. You have a glorified tribute band who are going to try to make some cash off the name. This cd in that light is so dirty and cruel. To be fair and back on topic, it is a fair cd. If you are into metal from 1986 to 1991 with flairs of today thrown in. This cd could be for you. I think the lead singer is really good. He could be a great metal singer if this band can break out of the mold and really just create something different and try to stand out. This cd has a huge upward battle. I truly feel that this cd could have been something so special if it would have just believed in its vision and not tried to recreate their past or mimic other successes from that era.
For more information on L.A. GUNS, visit:
www.LAGunsMusic.com
www.Facebook.com/L.A.GunsOfficial
www.Instagram.com/LAGuns
www.Twitter.com/LAGuns
www.YouTube.com/LAGunsOfficial
www.Soundcloud.com/LA-Guns
Play.Spotify.com/LAGunsOfficial
