Keeping in trend with the multitude of bands rising from their ashes to re-form, Glaswegian rockers Gun called it quits in 1997 after less than 10 years together, and have returned with new material in the form of aptly named album Break The Silence.
Having toured with the likes of the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi, Gun specialise in big, catchy rock songs with pop undertones. New frontman (formerly their bass player) Dante Gizzi’s pipes aren’t unlike those of Axl Rose, and the band’s sound echoes the Sunset Strip rather than their native grey Glasgow, while their youthful exuberance disguises the fact that they started making music in the 80s.
As soon as the punchy opener Butcher Man kicks in with its singalong chorus, you know you’re in for an album bulging with party anthems. Gun have the ability to slow down, too, as How Many Roads and Running Out Of Time demonstrate, but they’re at their best when they whip out the cheery pop anthems that scream booze-drenched summer bashes and 80s-style party grooves.
If faux-American accents and polished pop rock make you baulk, this is best avoided. Yet, for all its catchy jams, it’s hard for even the most hardened rock fan not to bop along.
