Angels and Enemies… Halo, we’ve been expecting you
Review: Sound of Guns – Angels and Enemies
Published on March 15th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Sound of Guns are not Rocksucker’s usual cup of tea – and if you find yourself balking at terms such as ‘stadium rock’ and ‘anthemic’, then chances are they won’t be yours either – but you have to admire the sheer chutzpah and lofty ambition splattered across the Liverpool five-piece’s second album Angels and Enemies.
Driving guitars, pounding drums, tinkling ivories, gravelly rant-singing, harmonised lead guitar; that’s just the opening track “Sometimes”, the dynamic punctuation of which evidences a band that’s tighter than a student’s jeans, and commendably un-flashy with it. However, for all that this is good, solid fare, there’s an inescapable sense of familiarity that is liable to gnaw away at those in search of something a little more mind-expanding. “I was born here, and I’ll die here,” rasps singer Andy Metcalfe, and he could very well be singing about his band’s steadfast defiance to stick with what they know and are good at. And why not?
“Sometimes”
“Antarctica” and “The Oceans, The Seas, The Rivers” both capture an oddly festive feel, as polished yet heartfelt as the likely results of Feeder deciding to make a Christmas album, while the momentarily Phil Spector-ish drums of “Flash of Light”, folky chord progression of “The Whites of Your Eyes” and impressive cacophony at the end of “Guide” hint at a versatility that Sound of Guns could do well to make more of in the future.
Elsewhere, the effective “End of the World” flaunts nifty bass ‘n’ lead work in its post-chorus breakdown, while “The Leaning” brings about a welcome shift into murkier waters, but closer “Of Our Own Invention” spells out the problem quite clearly, wielding a guitar line reminiscent of “Words” by Doves and thereby conflicting the very title of the song.
“Silicon”
If you like big guitars, bombastic vocals, rumbling drums, slick production and arena-filling choruses – but not to the extent of, say, The Darkness – then you are advised to check out Angels and Enemies by Sound of Guns. For those in search of life’s stranger pleasures, check out our Team Me review below.
Rocksucker says: Six-and-a-Half Quails out of Ten!
Click here to read Rocksucker’s review with Sound of Guns guitarist Lee Glynn!
Angels and Enemies is out now on Distiller Records. For more information, including a list of live dates, please visit soundofguns.com or the band’s Facebook page.
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
