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TAILGUNNER
Guns For Hire

Fireflash (2023)
Rating: 8/10

My review for Tailgunner’s 2022 Crashdive EP (which I gave a 6.5/10) prompted their fanbase (friends, family and pets) to take to Facebook to ravenously and rabidly claim that the release surely demanded a 10/10. That of course would mean it was up there with the greatest metal releases of all time… which it clearly isn’t.

Now, as we all know, differing opinions on Facebook cause wars, so with this new release I’d hoped that the UK rockers might deliver something more convincing, and for the most part they have. Whether this review will be enough to save me from a lynching from Tailgunner’s parents I don’t know, but let’s focus on the meat and deliver some honest assessment, which of course is something that many reviews in the media today lack due to too much buddying up with bands, i.e. arse-licking.

Tailgunner’s debut full-length album comes a lot harder and, at times, faster than the Crashdive EP (even though, and rather oddly, all four of those tracks appear here) and for that I’m thankful. Guns For Hire is a major improvement in spite of the shoddy artwork which despite its desperation to appear retro doesn’t do justice to the sound within. Sure, it remains generic throwback metal that existed by the bucket load back in 1986, but in today’s climate there is a feverish eagerness for young upstarts to sound and dress like the heroes they never saw first time round, and there is nothing wrong with that if all ingredients gel together.

Yes, this is tried and tested with elements of unintentional goofiness, although Tailgunner brings crisp axe work, soaring melodies, tight rhythms and strong vocals to the table, but more so they have a talent for creating infectious metal anthems that glint with a Teutonic steel combined with the more obvious Iron Maiden links, something which bands like Kaine attempted a few years before but to no avail or success. However, for me, the band is at their most potent when serving up speedier routines such as on ‘White Death’ which displays thrash elements. It’s a standout cut dripping with aggression and more so through Craig Cairns vocal grit.

Elsewhere, the title track gallops nicely and provides ample vim after the more subdued stodge of opener ‘Shadows Of War’, which, in reality, sounds like any 80s British metal act via the demo battles on BBC’s Friday Rick Show. Even so, the guitars on ‘Shadows Of War’ are fluid and the drums of Sam Caldwell kick effectively. Admittedly the band doesn’t fire on all cylinders throughout, but the blazing guitar work tends to carry the more predictable tracks over the finish line.

Personally, I find myself craving the aggressive side of Tailgunner and ‘Warhead’ quenches the thirst with its snarling vocals and racy dynamics. Meanwhile, album closer ‘Rebirth’ borders on epic with its cutting guitar tone and suspenseful slow build.

If Tailgunner gets a decent support slot somewhere then I can see them getting catapulted a few rungs up the ladder. They combine traditional metal with elements of power and thrash metal effortlessly, so I’ll definitely be at the live shows to hear these songs come to life. And I’ll be the guy down the front squabbling with the band members’ parents as to why I didn’t give this debut a 9 or 10 rating.

Neil Arnold

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