Review GUN ‘Hombres’

‘Gallus’ is the title of Gun’s sophomore album, and it was my entry point to the music of the Scottish hard rock outfit. Songs like ‘Steal Your Fire’ and ‘Higher Ground’ belong to the best the genre ever brought to surface. ‘Gallus’ was the springboard for some commercial success which reached its peak with ‘Swagger’, also but not only because of the very well-done cover of ‘Word Up’, the Cameo smash hit.

Although album number three marked the commercial peak, Gun never stopped playing good music and it is ‘Hombres’ which will continue this streak. The ninth studio album from the band features thirteen anthemic hard rock songs that all find the sweet spot of great melodies and an excellent sense for the spirit of rock’n’roll.

A highlight of the album is the highly dynamic ‘Take me Back Home’. The thundering song is equipped with a terrific groove and a spread great energy. It’s a song about willpower and commitment of reaching some set goals and in a way, this is what sums about the band approach in one song.

Basically, you can drop the needle wherever you want as each of these songs is a rock anthem. The slower and heavily pounding ‘Fake Life’ is as great as the warm and organic rocking ‘Never Enough’. The constancy of quality impresses and the bottom half of the tracklist can easily compete with the first songs. ‘Don’t Hide Your Fears Tonight’, the roaring ‘Lucky Guy’ and soulful ‘A Shift in Time’, they are all blossom immediately. Not to forget is the dirty rock’n’roll vibe, spread by ‘Wrong to Be Right’.

‘Hombres’ shows that Gun is still far away from retirement. The spirit of rock’n’roll is what keeps the guys young at heart and it is their ninth album that in a way connects to the early days. Gun has combined all their strengths and stringed them together which leads to a lively, emotional and catchy hard rock release that provides a great time.