Album Review — L.A. Guns

L.A. Guns — Renegades

Not only is this week’s review of a record that’s not been released yet, it’s by a band that is being sued by another band with the same name. “Renegades” by L.A. Guns is set to release on November 13. This version of L.A. Guns includes Steve Riley (drums) and Kelly Nickels (bass) who were both part of the most well known version of the band. They are joined by Kurt Frohlich (vocals/guitar) and Scott Griffin (guitar).

The Tracii Guns/Phil Lewis version of L.A. Guns have a new album coming soon and are currently suing this version of the band.

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s get to the music.

The album starts with a classic L.A Guns sounding track “Crawl”. It sounds like it could have been taken off one of the first two records. Frohlich has a similar voice to Lewis but he’s no clone. He has his own style that works well. A very good start.

There are a few tracks that have a similar feel and stick fairly close to that classic L.A. Guns sound. The title track is probably my favorite on the record. It reminds me of the “Cocked And Loaded” record. “Well Oiled Machine” and “Witchcraft” should also make old school fans happy.

But the band branches out as well. “The Lost Boys” sounds like a cross between the classic band and Black Veil Brides. “All That You Are” also has a little more modern sound to it and is another personal favorite.

We even get a mostly acoustic track in “Would”. While Frohlich can sound like Lewis on certain tracks, he definitely has his own sound and style.

I like what the band has done here. There’s plenty here for fans of the original version of the band to enjoy. I can definitely see how this band will be able to play the classic tracks we all know live (if we ever get live shows again). But they branch out enough to show that they are more than a tribute band.

I have really enjoyed the two Guns/Lewis records since they reunited. I like “Renegades”, but I wouldn’t put it in the same class as “The Missing Peace” or “The Devil You Know”. But it’s a good record and one that fans of the band should enjoy.

Ideally, Guns and Lewis and Riley and Nickels would bury the hatchet and reform the classic lineup. But we don’t live in an ideal world so we will have to live with what we have.

“Renegades” is a quality record and stands on its own. And if you are a fan of L.A. Guns, I think it’s worth checking out.

85 out of 100

Track Listing

01. Crawl *
02. Why Ask Why
03. Well Oiled Machine
04. Lost Boys *
05. You Can’t Walk Away
06. Witchcraft
07. All That You Are *
08. Would
09. Renegades *
10. Don’t Wanna Know

*Best Songs