Legendary rock powerhouses LA Guns return with their new album ‘Black Diamonds’. A ten song offering that’s produced by founding member and guitarist Tracii Guns, ‘Black Diamonds’ is a tour-de-force of rock ‘n roll that fans have come to expect from the long-running hard rockers.
Written and recorded over the course of 2022, “Black Diamonds” sees Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis and company continuing on the same successful and inspiring sonic journey that they’ve been taking on their most recent albums, ‘Checkered Past’, ‘The Devil You Know’, and ‘The Missing Peace’.
Kicking off with ‘You Betray’, you immediately hear tinges of the bands signature style with hard hitting snare drums intertwined with heavily distorted guitars. The first few notes are reminiscent of the 70’s Led Zeppelin-esque era but chunkier and the production arrangement could be compared to the work of bands such as Velvet Revolver. This continues into ‘Wrong About You’ with its catchy guitar hooks making it a standout track on the album. It’s arrangement allows space for each musician to be stand out with Johnny Martin’s bass shining through. Although the recent years releases from the bands have been well received, the production on ‘Black Diamonds’ is exemplary.
Perhaps the bands most famous track ‘The Ballad of Jayne’ from 1989 album ‘Cocked and Loaded’ proved that although LA Guns had a tough demeanour to them, they could still write a softer style of rock and tracks such as ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Gonna Lose’ on this new album showcase the bands ability to still do that in their opening verses before they are both then led into heavier choruses. ‘Diamonds’ also paves the way for a searing yet melodic guitar solo from Tracii Guns.
Punk influences creep their way into the album with ‘Babylon’ and ‘Shattered Glass’ with Phil Lewis’s raw and aggressive vocals complimenting the steadily driven drums and palm muted guitars. Think ‘Dog’ from 2021 album ‘Checked Past’ as a comparison. ’Lowlife’ brings with it a sense of classic rock in its usage of phaser guitar effects, made popular by the late great Eddie Van Halen. It’s unsurprising that you can hear so many different slithers of influences and genres throughout this new album with LA Gun’s career spanning forty years plus and a variety of artists moving in and out of the studio and stage doors.
‘Crying’ is the lightest track on the album musically with psychedelic touches including some interesting Mixolydian modes for the guitarists reading. ’Got It Wrong’ and ‘Like A Drug’ present flashes of the 80’s LA sunset strip this band cut its teeth on many years ago and it’s easier to hear them on a small club stage as well as at a larger venue.
Although LA Guns are known for having a revolving door of band members, the driving force of all those classic L.A. Guns songs was Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis. Feeling inspired and excited like they did when they first started out, but with many years of wisdom and experience under their belts, and most importantly, a renewed and stronger creative and personal relationship, Guns, Lewis, and L.A. Guns as a whole are at a creative peak.
Track listing: 1. You Betray 2. Wrong About You 3. Diamonds 4. Babylon 5. Shame 6. Shattered Glass 7. Gonna Lose 8. Got It Wrong 9. Lowlife 10. Crying 11. Like A Drug Record Label: Frontiers Release Date: 14th April Buy ‘Black Diamonds’ now
