I have been proudly aboard the L.A. Guns reunion bandwagon from the moment Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns squashed their beef. Their last two albums, The Missing Peace (2017) and The Devil You Know (2019), were easily their finest efforts since Waking the Dead (2002), which was ironically the last L.A. Guns album to feature Lewis and Guns until The Missing Peace. The accompanying tours for these albums showcased just how much gas these dudes have left in the tank. Whether it be on the stage or in the studio, L.A. Guns does not come off like a band who’s been going at it in some incarnation or another for close to 40 years.
Checkered Past continues L.A. Guns’ hot streak of post-reunion gold. Aside from the melancholic modern rock of “If It’s Over Now” (a track whose inclusion I question), this album stays true to its name. It capitalizes on the finest moments of the band’s self proclaimed checkered past, yet without merely rehashing what’s already been done. In other words, the formula remains the same, but potent as ever. Lewis’ vocals are explosive as ever, Guns cranks out down and dirty riffs like a bastard son of Keith Richards, and the rest of the band holds the fort like seasoned veterans. It’s hard to believe such a fiery collection of rock n’ roll was recorded remotely.
When it comes to hard rocking Californian sleaze, L.A. Guns remain sleazy as ever. Cuts like “Living Right Now” and “Knock Me Down” are the type of gritty, in your face rock n’ rollers this band has specialized in from day one. “Bad Luck Charm” is strong yet sly, drawing from the bluesier side of The Doors. Towards the end of the album is the funkalicious grooves of “That Ain’t Why”. Fear not purists. In this context, “funk” and “groove” refers more to Mk. III Deep Purple than the shirtless buffoons known as Red Hot Chili Peppers. The point here being L.A. Guns still put the “hard” in hard rock.
Of course, being on the *ahem* “truer” side of things, L.A. Guns knows how to seamlessly go from hard rock to metal. There’s no shortage of metal moments throughout this outing, starting from the opener and my choice cut, “Cannonball”. THIS is how you open an album: Fast, aggressive, and dripping with Motörhead worship from the riffs to the attitude. “Dog” serves as a vicious blast of filthy metalpunk, while “Better Than You” comes off as Judas Priest if Lewis had replaced Halford in the 90s (one can dream). Rounding it all out is the pummeling “Physical Itch”. L.A. Guns’ second foray into Sabbathian doom thus far (the first being “The Devil You Know”), “Physical Itch” makes me wish they release an entire album dedicated to slow tempos and thundering riffs.
All in all, Checkered Past is just as strong as the last two L.A. Guns albums, if not stronger in certain parts. It also rocks harder than most bands out there half their age. For Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, age is just a number, one to chalk up alongside albums sold, drinks consumed, and women banged. To that, I proudly raise my glass to these hellraising hard rockers.
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Motörhead