Project Description

L.A GUNS

The Missing Peace

(Album Review)

Reviewer – Sarah Skyes

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Since Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis began dropping hints of a new album in 2016, The Missing Peace, has been surrounded by curiosity. It is the first new music from Guns and Lewis, since Guns left the band in 2002. Reunion albums can often enter dangerous territory if a band tries too hard to recreate their past success, but The Missing Peace safely escapes the nostalgia trap. It’s mature, but fun, without leaving behind the elements that have made L.A. Guns so addictive. Big riffs, raw production and choruses that’ll be stuck in your head for days.

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Speed and Baby Gotta Fever are raw, high adrenaline, rock ‘n’ roll tracks, with some of the best riffs on the album, giving Tracii Guns and Michael Grant the opportunity to show off their chops. Speed gives a subtle nod to Deep Purple’s Highway Star, but Baby Gotta Fever is a straight triple threat of old school L.A. Guns. Gritty, heavy and dirty. Sticky Fingers is reminiscent of Electric Gypsy, but far heavier. Shane Fitzgibbon on drums excels on the heavier songs. His versatility is a major win on the album, and keeps it interesting through all 12 tracks.

The ballads, Christine, The Flood’s the Fault of the Rain and The Missing Peace, are a breath of fresh air amongst all the hard rock songs. Christine, is the most nostalgic song on the album, arguably the modern counterpart to 1989’s Ballad of Jayne. It’s graceful and relaxed, without losing the rock edge, with Guns’ guitar work coming through powerfully. The Flood’s the Fault of the Rain is a bit more rooted in metal, but it doesn’t lose its rock ‘n’ roll edge.

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The Devil Made Me Do It and Kill It or Die, are another two hard-riffing tracks, but most notable, aside from their catchy choruses, is the work of Johnny Martin on bass proving he’s just as vital to the band’s sound as Guns and Grant. The album closes with the massive Gave It All Away, fusing both acoustic and electric to create a five minute masterpiece, with the musicianship showing hints of Iron Maiden, one of the heaviest turns for the band, and for the album.

The Missing Peace is a testament to the durability of the L.A. Guns sound, and is not an album that will sit gathering dust in favour of the classics. If you’re looking for proof rock ‘n’ roll ain’t dead, you can’t get much better than The Missing Peace.

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Download The Missing Peace Here!

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AMNPLIFY – RL

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