GUNNER – All Access (2016)
GUNNER are not strangers to this blog as we already presented their previous album, now two years forward the band delivers their third installment “All Access“.
Although at first glance the quintet comes out as a glam metal band, big hair, fancy clothes and even fancier colors, music-wise however, Gunner has a Melodic Rock feel with a strong AOR touch.
With new lead vocalist and bass player, Gunner seems to have solidified their sound in this third album, definitely inspired by the ’80s Californian scene but with a modern punch.
“All Access” should be Gunner’s most varied work to date, quite creative regarding the genre and, basically, catchier.
Over the George Lynch / Warren De Martini approved riffs of guitarist Rodrigo Bugallo, the abundant keys & synth lines by Marcos Prevalil and the oiled rhythm section, new frontman Pyper Muguertegui feels like a fish in a water. Or instead of water I should say champagne, as this guy has all the glam & swagger needed for this type of music.
Since the beginning with opener ‘Don’t Cross The Line’ Gunner put things clear; they rock with authority and a well-learned lesson in classic AOR. The chorus is strong n’ catchy, in best tradition of the genre.
They turn the proceedings quite heavy and aggressive in ‘Unholy War’ driven by a sharp riff, then ‘Reaching the Stars (We Are)’ is an anthemic, arena-ready melodic rocker with the 1988 stamp over it.
For a hard rock in a Whitesnake American period you have the effective midtempo ‘Through the Night’, for a ballad there’s the pure AOR of ‘Waiting’ (very good harmony vocals).
The last triad of tracks are among the best on the album; ‘Hearts of Fire’, as you could imagine with its title is a pumping melodic hard rocker embellished with sparkling synths, ‘Knight Rider’ is another lovely AOR tune with some ’80s British influences, then the album ends with ‘Dreaming Tokyo’, again hardening the sound in the vein of an ‘Americanized’ Loudness or Tobruk.
While in terms of sound there’s no surprises – Gunner loves ’80s L.A. – “All Access” shows a welcomed evolution by the band in the songwriting department delivering a bunch of varied tunes, really catchy.
We have material for all tastes ranging from hard rock to AOR, with several numbers mixing both styles with ease. Although production is not perfect, the band feels tight, genuine, and as a whole this is a quite enjoyable release.
Catchy, classy stuff.
01 – Don’t Cross The Line
02 – One Look
03 – Unholy War
04 – Reaching the Stars (We Are)
05 – Through the Night
06 – Waiting
07 – Lonely as Love
08 – Hearts of Fire
09 – Knight Rider
10 – Dreaming Tokyo
Pyper Muguertegui: vocals
Rodrigo Bugallo: guitar
Marcos Prevalil: keys
German Calero: drums
Samuel Carabajal: bass
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