#7 — LA Guns — The Missing Peace
I hope this album sparks many reunions of bands that split up over pettiness. LA Guns broke up many years ago and for over a decade there have been 2 versions of the band. I can unequivocally say that every time this happens (it’s more than you would think) neither band is as good as the original. LA Guns broke the trend and the two main players (Phil Lewis & Traci Guns) have reunited and released an excellent record.
It’s classic LA Guns. It’s heavy, sleazy, punk and melodic at the same time. Lewis sounds great and the band sounds tight. It is easily their best album since Cocked and Loaded and may be their best ever.
This one deserves a track by track breakdown.
It’s All The Same To Me — Cool song — straight ahead rocker. I probably would have started the record with…
Speed — One of the best songs on the record. It’s aggressive and reminds me of “Rip and Tear” without being a carbon copy.
A Drop of Bleach — Features a cool riff and Lewis is at his best screech
Sticky Fingers — Another one that sounds like it could have been on Cocked and Loaded. Classic LA Guns.
Christine — Not exactly Ballad of Jayne but in that vein. Decent ballad.
Baby Gotta Fever — Cool punk rocker which is a great way to come out of the ballad
Kill It Or Die — Lots of great riffs on this record. Another one here. There’s something about this album that reminds me of the Rolling Stones.
Don’t Bring a Knife to a Gunfight — Another great song that fits in well with the classic LA Guns sound. Chorus reminds me of another song that isn’t coming to me right now.
The Flood’s the Fault of the Rain — Another song that sounds familiar without being a copy. Very Doors-ish.
The Devil Made Me Do It — Back to the more hard punk style here. I’m just so impressed that the band could recapture the sound they had 25 years ago after being apart for so long.
The Missing Peace — This one starts with a cool acoustic guitar intro but turns epic pretty quickly. One of the highlights of the record.
Gave It All Away — Another great song but probably a little too similar to be back to back with the previous song. Would have been better to split them up.
This is truly a great LA Guns record. It’s everything I love about the band.