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Big Guns: Down But Not Out
Big Guns: Down But Not Out
Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
3.5/5.0
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Unsigned / Self-released
by Craig Hartranft, 11.20.2013
Rumbling out of Ireland is Big Guns a classic hard rock, heavy metal, act delivering their debut album, Down But Not Out. The band draws influences from AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, and some Neil Young to offer essentially some boogie blues hard rock with big riffs and sharp guitars.
Big Guns:: with sunglasses.
For the most part, it comes with mixed across this album of nine songs in a short 30 minutes. Some of the best tunes come early with Red Eyed & Rolling and The Devil's Highway, both great songs to crank out while you're riding your Harley. The next highlight is Big Guns cover of Young's Rocking in the Free World, which the handle well, with the grit and energy of the original.
As for the other five songs, I was rather ambivalent. A Song For a Friend and Fall From Grace come across as simply heavy, yet still have some sharp guitar solos. Kiss & Tell recovers some of that boogie hard rock, but isn't quite as catchy as those aforementioned songs above. But you definitely get the AC/DC vibe. The biggest surprise may be the closing instrumental, Forever & Always. Juxtaposed against the heavier material, it's a delightful guitar driven anthem with a hymnlike quality. With the Young cover, it's the two best songs here. For Big Guns, the potential is there and we'll probably see more and better material in the future.
Big Guns - The Devil's Highway
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In Short
Ireland's Big Guns delivers big riffs and sharp guitars with boogie blues hard rock metal groove.
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