In addition to being a great guitarist, Bill Steer is also a busy mofo. He recently joined England’s regressive rockers Gentleman's Pistols and makes his recording debut on their new album At Her Majesty's Pleasure. I knew nothing about this band but heard the song “Living In Sin Again” on a Classic Rock magazine sampler and was impressed enough to pick up the album. If I was a little bit disappointed with the new Firebird, the Gentleman's Pistols far exceeded my expectations. I love this record! It’s the perfect mix of Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy. Lots of bands owe a huge debt to Sabbath and GP. They’re not a doom metal band at all but just a straight up heavy rock band.
Some of the songs sound like they were birthed straight out of the instrumental jams on the first Black Sabbath record and then welded to outstanding duel guitars. For example, “Some Girls Don't Know What's Good For Them” uses Sabbath’s “Wicked World” as a starting point before venturing into Thin Lizzy “Massacre” turf. “I Wouldn’t Let You” has a strong early Iron Maiden feel that will have you doing the “Prowler” boogie with your tennis racket. They even get in a little Witchfinder General on “The Ravisher.” This song really kicks ass and will make you glad to put a Gentleman's Pistols patch on your denim jacket.
There are 12 songs on At Her Majesty's Pleasure and not one of them is a dud. It’s not often that when a 47 minute CD is over that I listen to the entire thing all over again but that’s been happening a lot lately with this one. Gentleman's Pistols is heavy enough for most metal fans but won’t scare away the hard rock crowd. If you have any blood, guts and beer inside you don’t miss out on this one. Heavy rock at it’s finest indeed.
--Woody
http://gentlemanspistols.com/
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