Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: L.A. Guns
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2018
Runtime: 65:00
Rating: 4/5
One of the most exciting stories of last year was surely the reunion of the classic L.A. Guns. Yes, that’s the version of the band where guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis are finally back together. For years they each ran their own version of the band. Very nice, but that final pinch of salt was missing.
Reunited like this, with both defining characters back in the lineup, L.A. Guns put out the excellent comeback album »The Missing Peace« last year and played the Frontiers Rock festival at the end of April that same year, in the little town of Trezzo Sull’Adda. That’s a stone’s throw from Milan, in Italy’s Lombardy. The album came out later, so the band put together a kind of best-of set of the most impressive moments of their career, leaning on songs from the first two albums, while the following two, »Hollywood Vampires« and »Vicious Circle«, didn’t get treated like stepchildren in Milan that night either. The band also introduced new songs from »The Missing Peace« and the way they worked perfectly live alongside the cult classics already confirmed back then that the band’s new studio album was going to be a hell of a record.
To recap, after 12 years “Live In Milan” is the band’s first live document, now that two central figures of the L.A. Guns story, singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns, have joined forces in the band again. The lineup that played in Milan also included Michael Grant, who left the band this March, plus bassist Johny Martin and drummer Shane Fitzgibbon. A superb crew, and? A superb live show. All I have in front of me is the audio release, but there’s a DVD too, which will surely be grabbed by those diehards who may have been at last year’s edition of Frontiers Rock.
Tight, with unbelievable fighting spirit and fervent dedication. Tracii Guns remains that quiet underground king who, had the cards fallen differently, could be dominating the rock guitar world today, right in Slash’s spot. And he dominates in soloing and remains unbelievable. A brilliant soloist. Tracii builds and sustains an incredible feel , showing real elemental finesse as he deftly doses out his solos throughout, with concise touches of tremolo and filigree pull-off »tugs«. Although Grant is considered a technically superb musician and guitarist, he doesn’t get his moment. Nor is he supposed to. Tracii has always been the main man, so of course he handles the bulk of the lead guitar duties. Rightly so. Lewis sounds like he hasn’t lost a shred of his vocal power or that incredible charisma, which has always given the classic L.A. Guns albums their essential sheen and unique identity.
New times, new drive. Fresh surges of testosterone in the veins of old tomcats! A thoroughly convincing document, sonically incredibly polished yet scuffed up and torn, with a punk-garage sheen, just dirty enough and just sharp enough. Rock-penetrating, razor-edged and indescribably biting. Only the L.A. Guns combo, in cahoots with Guns and Lewis, can create and bring that to life like this. Let’s hope it stays that way through the band’s golden years.
Lineup
Phil Lewis – vocals
Tracii Guns – guitar
Johnny Martin – bass
Michael Grant – guitar
Shane Fitzgibbon – drums
Track list
01. No Mercy
02. Electric Gypsy
03. Killing Machine
04. Bow Solo/Over The Edge
05. Sex Action
06. Speed
07. One More Reason
08. Kiss My Love Goodbye
09. Don’t Look At Me That Way
10. Malaria
11. Never Enough
12. Jelly Jam
13. The Ballad Of Jayne
14. Rip And Tear
