Battle-Tested

Aww, I can't really be mad at Gun Barrel. Although they are marketed by a power metal label to power metal people (a fate that they share with many other Limb label-bands by the way), they are still a small and silly rock 'n roll band at heart. They never act like they are more than that and the world can never expect a "Night at the Opera" from these guys. "SCREAM OF THE KILLER!!!" So what the hell, let's look at this through the kind eyes of a drunk because it absolutely helps to be hammered while listening to this. Not because the band sucks, but the cheap party factor calls for some superficial intoxication. "ROLL OF THE DICE!!!" There is not much insightful stuff to write about Gun Barrel because the are not Dream Theater and that is okay. Although a collaboration of those two bands would be something for the world to see. I would pay good money for that.

Motörhead, AC/DC, Manowar, Hammerfall and Wasp, these are the bands that come to mind when Gun Barrel set out to do their thing with this album and they do it quite well, despite not offering a compository shred of their legendary idols. Are you drinking that beer and yelling along with the simple buzz word lyrics from the good book of "EVERYTHING THAT RHYMES WITH KILLER AND FIRE YOU TWATS!" like I told you?

Gun Barrel keep the classic eighties riffing simple because they know how to control the hard rock narrative and it keeps your foot tapping with the easy up tempo drum beats. Do I really have to tell you that every song has a LOOK HOW LONG MY PENIS IS-guitar solo? Couldn't you decipher that by looking at the cover artwork? Come the fuck on! There are some bag pipes on "My last ale" and I wasn't even surprised when I heard that song for the first time. "DON'T BRING ME DOWN!" We are making sweet sweet love to those cliches tonight, friends!

The vocalist of Gun Barrel does actually have a very pleasing voice. He operates with a mid range, laid back masculine timbre that is not as shrill as you normally excpect it from harley driving revenge fantasies. His rough nasal tenor works very well with the general vibe of the "compositions". I am sorry for the quotation marks but I can't apologize because I am busy with yelling "BITTEN BY A SNAKE!". The multilayered chorus vocals are constructed with enough warmth and passion that I can't hate on this band for doing what makes them happy. They throw some Rory Gallagher leads into the mix just for the fuck of it and the show must go on. "GUNFIRE FROM THE HILL!"