Stephen
'What a fun-tastic album!' - and that's what my mind told me when I finish spinning this album for the first time. The amount of joy I get is almost exactly the same when I first dance to the groove of POISON's 'Open Up and Say Aah' or DANGER DANGER's 'Screw It'. Not that the album shares a ludicrous similarity, but all of them possess an incredibly spiritful arrangement that can turn on a good mood instantly.
'Broken Highway' clinch the victory because of the simple approach of reviving the 80s hooks, not overly thinking of creating a breakthrough invention here, but giving the old fans of the decade what they really wanted. 'Jenny's On The Run' which is apparently the leading single, together with 'Distant Dreams' steal my attention right away. Most songs here are in uptempo fashion, pounding drums, roaring guitars, and packed with shrilling singing, but there are several midtempo tracks that's quite enjoyable too such as 'Heartache Game' or the title track.
But after plodding with the average ballad, 'Bye Bye Bye', I'm convinced that these guys are superior in the faster beat type of songs. The anthemic 'Let Your Fire Burn' for example, or the best track here, 'S.O.S', displayed a spectacular energy and it's great to hear how Vääränen grabbed that impossible range up above. 'Hit N Run' and 'Dreams On The Line' are very well executed and among my faves too.
The sound production is quite raw but totally acceptable for an indie release. My little complaint is that they should have left out some spot that has several unnecessary high pitch screaming near the end of a song and perhaps give more room for solo guitars. Overall, this caught me by surprise and LOUDGUNS had done something amazing here and kudos for that!