Saturday 22 July 2017

Shooting Guns - Flavour Country (Album Review)


Release date: August 11th 2017. Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Flavour Country – Tracklisting

1.Ride Free
2.French Safe
3.Beltwhip Snakecharmer
4.Vampires of Industry
5.Flavour Country
6.Black Leather Jacket

Band Members

Keef
Laramee
Jay Loos
Jim Ginther
Toby Bond
Zach Low
Brennan Barclay

Review

After long long time, I return to talk about music. And I could do it in the best way!

Today I’m talking about the new superb album from Shooting Guns, Flavour Country (Riding Easy Records). This powerful sextet from Saskatoon, SK, in the heart of the Canadian prairies come back with a stunning new album, mastered by John McBain (ex-Monster Magnet, Carlton Melton).

As in their previous releases, Shooting Guns have the ability to manage very different styles, in a perfectly mix between stoner, hard and kraut-rock. In their sophomore LP, Brotherhood Of The Ram (Riding Easy Records), the band gave us a very slow collection of songs with a huge stoner influence, full of edgy and fuzzy riffs. In Flavour Country, the atmospheres are sometimes more dull, melancholic and dilated, representing the perfect soundtrack for a journey into the immense open spaces.

The opener, Ride Free, starts with an heavy riff halfway between Steppenwolf and Hawkwind, followed by the psychedelic ride of French Safe, where the speed of the song is contrasted with the wise use of synths, colouring the song of a cinematic vein.

Beltwhip Snakecharmer is a song where the Sabbath-oriented riff at the beginning leaves the step to more ethereal atmospheres closely remind me to Harvestman, which anticipate the next song, Vampire Industry. The title track, Flavour Country and, mostly, Black Leather Jacket are the heaviest part of the album, representing the perfect closure, with their Sabbath-styled doom riffery, seasoned by heavy pulse-riding psychedelia.

The kraut-rock and film-character of the band feels very much in this release and permeates almost the entire duration of the album. It’s a very surprising album that leaves nothing for granted and never bores, a feature this is not a discount for those who make instrumental music their own style.

There is no more to say, with Flavour Country, Shooting Guns take us on a beautiful journey through a wide spectrum of sound, where any of us will love to lose ourselves. Highly recommended.

Words by Bruno Bellisario
Thanks to Dave at US/THEM PR for the promo. Flavour Country will be available to buy on CD/DD/VInyl from August 11th 2017 via RidingEasy Records
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