GUN – Frantic (2015)

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Considered a Glasgow legend and a cult band by all his fans, GUN returns with a new record entitled “Frantic“.
I really dig their first three albums 1989’s ‘Taking On The World’, 1992’s ‘Gallus’ and 1994’s ‘Swagger’, all filled with a cool brand of melodic rock / pop tinged hard, however their last from three years ago was a hit & miss.

At first listen, “Frantic” it’s much better.
Second album to feature vocals by Dante Gizzi, it opens with “Let It Shine” starting with a short a gospel like intro which leads into a riff which is reminiscent of Def Leppard’s Armaggedon It. It is classic Gun though, polished poppy melodic rock with a great melody and some tasty guitar work from Jools Gizzi.
The lead track from the album follows, “Labour Of Life”, a more direct rock song with a big chorus enhanced with a brass section. I can see why the band chose to air this song first. It’s good, yet not the strongest.

“Beautiful Smile” has a vocal effect throughout which I found a bit grating and unnecessary although the song has an effective groove, but then “One Wrong Turn” gets things back on track with a nice melodic rock feel.
“Our Time” slows the pace a bit with some acoustics into the mix and relaxed vocals.
Album title track “Frantic”, unlike the name suggests, is a more laid back, reflective track complete with a string section for added effect. “Hold Your Head Up” returns to the feel of the opening track with multi layered vocals on the chorus.

“Big City” is another Gun signature track, melodic pop rock that will have your toe tapping and head nodding, it may not be original but it is fun.
The riff of “Seraphina” had me singing XTC in my head before “Never Knew What I Had” brings the album to the end in low key fashion, the closest the album gets to a ballad.

Much better than their 2012 comeback album, “Frantic” is a good new offering from Gun.
Gun’s music has always been a fine balance of pop and melodic rock with a touch of edge, and when the band get that blend right the end results are something special. There’s some cuts here in this vein, while others are a bit boring and on the safe side. I was longing for Jools to break loose with a chunky riff or two.
That said, “Frantic” is an enjoyable listen, just don’t expect it to rock your world too hard.

01 – Let It Shine
02 – Labour of Life
03 – Beautiful Smile
04 – One Wrong Turn
05 – Our Time
06 – Frantic
07 – Hold Your Head Up
08 – Big City
09 – Seraphina
10 – Never Knew What I Had

Dante Gizzi – Vocals
Jools Gizzi – Guitars
Paul McManus – Drums
Derek Brown – Bass
Johnny McGlynn – Guitars

PRE-ORDER:
umusicdirect.com/gun/
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