L.A. Guns ‘The Devil You Know’ Review

Released by: Frontiers Music s.r.l.

Release Date: 29^th March 2019

Genre: Hard Rock

Links: 

https://www.lagunsmusic.com/

Line-up:

Phillip Lewis- Vocals
Tracii Guns- Guitars
Johnny Martin- Bass
Shane Fitzgibbon- Drums
Adam Hamilton-Guitar

Tracklist:

1. Rage              
2. Stay Away                 
3. Loaded Bomb            
4. The Devil You Know              
5. Needle To The Bone  
6. Going High                 
7. Gone Honey              
8. Don’t Need To Win
9. Down That Hole         
10. Another Season In Hell          
11. Boom (Bonus Track)

L.A. Guns, despite shuffling line-up’s and some questionable sonic shifts over the years have always been a significant favorite of mine. Those first two albums are are not only benchmark albums for the band, but defined the genre of 80’s Glam Metal perfectly- raw, brash, and dirty. With only a couple of albums in their catalog I personally could live without, they’ve always conistsently pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable for the genre while at the same time very much fitting it. With the return of Phil Lewis to the band, making L.A. Guns sound better than ever, they’ve made a triumphant return to the music world and have left all the posers in their wake.

With their 2^nd release with Lewis back, The Devil You Know, it seems to ironically mirror what happened between the time of the s/t debut and Cocked & Loaded. The Missing Peace was a return to that old sound for the band, whereas The Devil You Know finds itself still deeply ensonced in that classic Glam Metal feel and presentation, yet it’s a bit darker with dabblings into some heavier moments and not necessarily entirely Glam (much like Cocked & Loaded did back in the day.) The opening track, “Rage,” very much sounds like Guns, but leans more towards the Metal side than Glam, and that is just fine with me. Don’t worry though as tracks like “Gone Honey” and the bonus track “Boom” certainly deliver as much Glam as one can handle. You can tell the band has been touring non-stop since the reunion because they’ve got this fantasticly cohesive vibe and Guns and Lewis are certainly getting back into that groove of what makes L.A. Guns a cut above the rest.

Obviously, there is no secret about the volatility of the members of this band. Again, there have been numerous changes over the years (with, at one point, an L.A. Guns without its namesake.) I for one am beyond stoked that Phil and Tracii worked out their differences and are still on the righteous path of greatness. There is no denying the chemistry these two have as one entity. The Devil You Know is a more than capable follow-up to The Missing Peace. It’s nice to hear a band with as much history as L.A. Guns to still sound just as fresh as ever.

Ratings: 9/10

Written by: Chris Martin

My Global Mind – Senior Staff Writer

Chris Martin is a US based writer for My Global Mind, with an interest in hard rock and heavy metal in all its forms. A heavy contributor to the site, his work largely covers album and gig reviews.

While you’re here, why not check out our recent interview with Phil Lewis.

About Author

Erik DeViking

Erik De’Viking is a London based freelance music journalist. His musical interests include blues, rock, and metal in all its forms, and he is constantly on the lookout for new bands and genres to discover and later preach about to the masses.

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