Running hard off their very good debut album in 2020 SHOTGUN MISTRESS are set to punch out another season of Aussie hard rock cross L.A. Strip ’80s scene.
Their sophomore album “Kings Of The Revolution” kicks some serious ass, and while not ‘revolutionary’ as its title speaks – given that we’ve all probably heard this before – but if you like your hard rock to sound like it’s 1989 yet crucially not to be a dated, spandex-wearing, sexist load of old nonsense that for many sounds awful in 2024, then Shotgun Mistress is the band for you.
If you haven’t had the chance to hear Shotgun Mistress yet, this album will leave you in no doubt about the band’s calibre. This is classic hard rock done very, very well, and I am sure Shotgun Mistress’s reputation will continue to build as they kick off their international tours, kicking off tomorrow with a 9-show tour in Japan.
Opening with title track ”Kings Of The Revolution”, this shredding beast is unleashed with all the might and power you would expect from these 4 renegades from Melbourne. The soaring gravelly vocals are hitting us with all their might and strength that we have come to know these boys for as this foot-stomping opener punches you straight in the face from the get-go.
“Sweet Woman” sounds like the last thing they want is a sweet woman, “Shot Down” will have you reaching for your nearest copy of Skid Row’s debut, and the way that singer Glenn Patrick roars his way through “Jude Judas” is proof that they found the right man in the end.
If, like me, you grew up in the ’80s and the only way through neo-capitalism was to escape into hard rock, you can’t help but feel nostalgic for the old days on the likes “From Hell” and even “Mary Jane” – let’s be honest here, the title alone is a cliché – is better than you’d imagine (and features Electric Mary man Rusty Brown).
The band are at their best, though, when they sound like their heroes but remember it’s 2024, as on “Headspace” for example, or the righteous indignation of “Addicted To Pain”, which you could imagine Slash getting a Gold Disc for.
Speaking of Gn’R you won’t have to look too hard to find “Patience” in the acoustics (and whistling) in “Welcome To The Fight”. If that’s the one ballad here, then SHOTGUN MISTRESS are happier being the last gang in town, like they are on “Alright” and you have to say too, that renowned guitarist Matt Wilcock is exceptional throughout this. His riffing makes this, and not least the last one, “Down”.
SHOTGUN MISTRESS has that vibe, you know, that sleazy mojo. If other bands didn’t convince you how they re-interpret the ’80s hard rock, grab ‘Kings Of The Revolution’ and meet the way it can still throw down.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
01. Kings Of The Revolution
02. Sweet Woman
03. Shot Down
04. Jude Judas
05. From Hell
06. Mary Jane(feat. Rusty Brown)
07. Headspace
08. Addicted To Pain
09. Welcome To The Fight
10. It’s Alright
11. Down
Shotgun Mistress – Kings of Revolution 2024
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