From the album opener and title track, it's abundantly clear that AC/DC have been a colossal influence on these trouble boys. In fact, I reckon you could easily compare "Play Ball" off AC/DC's last piece of shit with "Sons Of Guns" except the latter isn't a flat, powerless tune with a noticeably generic drumbeat and a forgettable riff. Saying that, it's hardly the best track of the lot and as far as album openers go in comparison to the rest of the record, it's pretty weak.
The next track, "Down On My Knees", is also quite average, plodding along like a slightly heavier Status Quo song before fading out and away into obscurity. However, from here, Sons Of Guns certainly grows a pair and delivers the goods. Tracks such as "Bullshit", "Demolition Man" and "Devil's Crotch" are instant driving classics whilst others like "Around And Around" and "Bang Your Head" are heavy foot stompers.
Whilst AC/DC are the obvious source of inspiration for the band's vocalist and guitarist, Tom Schaupp, there are a few picks that may feel quite familiar to 70's and 80's Hard Rock fans. "Kung Fu" starts off with a raw tribal drumbeat similar to Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some!!" and "Fuck You", as well as being a supremely better use of the obscenity than Cee Lo Green's soulless yet ubiquitous anthem for the unforgivably moronic, might remind you of ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses".
Meanwhile, on the lyrical side of the album, it would seem the band have once again taken the 70's/80's Hard Rock approach and written purely intellectual ditties about topics such as falling in love with a stripper ("Honey Bunny") and...uhhh, falling in love with a different stripper ("Don't Loose/Lose My Number"). As I said in my review for World On Fire - Slash, sometimes it's great to listen to a hot rockin' track that isn't trying to tell about five different stories in the lyrics and just wants to give you something easy to belt out during a gig. Besides, getting poetic with the lyrics can always wait until a later album, as this is only their 2nd LP.
Fans of Riff-Based Rock with plenty of hair round the gonads would be wise to give Sons Of Guns a listen and even though the soloing lacks the ferocious energy some Hard Rock bands can boast and the first couple of songs fall a bit flat, fortunately it's a case of getting the worst ones out of the way as the entire collection of tunes definitely set the bar high for future releases to live up to, which is why I give the record a 9/10.
Whilst modern bands such as White Wizzard and Airbourne have more or less just copied Iron Maiden and AC/DC respectively with their sound, it's clear that Razzmattazz have borrowed ideas from multiple bands to create music that definitely isn't unique in the slightest but is undoubtedly awesome.
After all, how does that expression go again? If you borrow from multiple sources, you're doing research but if you borrow from just one source without changing or improving anything, you're Kid Rock.
