Every single time that L.A. Guns decide to hit the studio and come up with brand new songs, it’s a good day for hard rock music! And when we say, “hard rock music”, we mean the proper hard rock music with the right attitude and not the diluted version that we are served nowadays. L.A. Guns might have lost the way sometimes, but they have never lost their attitude. Personally, I am one of those firm believers that L.A. Guns should only exist with Lewis and Tracii in the line-up. With all due respect to Riley and Nickels with the other incarnation of L.A. Guns (by the way, their album is really good, too), everybody knows which has always been the driving force behind L.A. Guns’ machine!
Enough with the intro…let’s cut to the chase. “Checkered Past” is a remarkable effort by the boys. As a matter of fact, it is one of the best hard rock releases of the year. It includes all the trademark sonic traces of the band although at points is “darker” (not in the overall atmosphere of the record but in the performance and the lyrical aspect). Sometimes, Phil Lewis leaves you under the impression that he’s doing a great interpretation of the legendary Alice Cooper and truth be told here; songs like “If It’s Over Now” and “Physical Itch” could have easily belonged to an Alice record. The songs are well-crafted, the production is satisfactory (especially in the guitar sound) and all in all is a truly satisfactory album.
Now, if you are expecting yet another “Cocked & Loaded” or “Hollywood Vampires”, well you might wanna think twice. This is 2021 and those albums cannot be revisited or replicated. Quite possibly “Checkered Past” will not prove to be a landmark record for L.A. Guns. But, in this time and age and the current state of the music industry, we are more than happy to be treated with enjoyable and respectable records like “Checkered Past”.
Highlight: Just by a quick look at he cover sleeve, you know what you are about to receive…
