Here’s a story of a man named Guns who, when he isn’t touring and recording with his main band (L.A. Guns), is kept busy lending his talents to a slew of studio projects (Seriously, Frontiers has this guy working overtime.) Here’s a story of a man named Russell who hasn’t been heard on an album of original music in *checks notes* seven years. ‘Til the one day when the guitarist met the singer and they knew that it was much more than a hunch that this duo should somehow start a Frontiers studio project. That’s the way they all became Russell and Guns (repeat three times).
That’s right, the first Frontiers album review of the year is upon us and I’m kicking it off with a parody of a beloved sitcom theme song (The Brady Bunch, for those out of the loop.) At this point, it’s almost like clockwork that this label is bound to conjure up some ’80s hard rock superstar pairing for an album that channels the glory of said superstars’ heyday, which is exactly what we have here. One part L.A. Guns, one part Great White, Russell/Guns sees these two icons of the Sunset Strip tackling a retro flavored collection of songs, conjured up by Frontiers’ dream team of hit doctors.
For the most part, the duo’s debut album, Medusa, stays true to the bluesy hard rock sound synonymous with Great White at their commercial peak. Despite a myriad of health setbacks, Russell’s vocals remain untouched by time, towing the line between passion and power. Guns, on the contrary, has a hell of a time tapping into that Jimmy Page/Paul Kossoff/Rory Gallagher vein he holds so near and dear to his heart, playing off of his vocal partner with a fiery disposition on cuts like “Next in Line”, “Where I Belong”, and “For You”.
Considering the songwriting involvement of Tommy Denander and, you guessed it, Alessandro Del Vecchio, AOR undertones sneak their way onto the likes of “Give Me the Night”, “Back into Your Arms Again”, and the title track. Although this genre is outside of both artist’s wheelhouse, they handle these melody centric songs with a sense of professionalism. My favorite songs on here, however, are the heaviest ones, specifically the one-two punch of “Tell Me Why” and “Coming Down”. While the latter channels the raging virtuosity of Mk. II Purple, the latter sounds straight out of LA circa ’83, when all those hairspray headed bands were offering their Americanized spin on the NWOBHM.
If Russell/Guns amounts to more than a one-off collaboration, I’d love to hear a subsequent album lean more on the metallic side of the spectrum. It’s been 40 years since we’ve heard Russell belt it out on a full metal affair (mind you, Great White started as “a Judas Priest clone”, Russell’s own words). No doubt about it, despite all his bluesy, groovy ways, I know Russell still has the metal flowing through his veins, and I DEFINITELY know Guns does as well (case in point: Sunbomb). Until then, I’ll gladly crank up this hard/heavy/blues/AOR Frankenstein of an affair.
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Great White, L.A. Guns, Dokken