Shotgun Mistress - Shotgun Mistress
Album review by; DeeDee
Australians Shotgun Mistress have dropped their debut album and these 13 tracks can be aimed and fired, at anyone who thought Rock Is Dead! I’ve said it before but have to repeat it; the young Aussie bands of today have this ability to produce music that is invigorating, fresh and harder than Ayers Rock. Only being around since 2018 these four guys from Melbourne have enjoyed a rollercoaster of a ride, beginning with the release of their initial single ‘No Friend Of Mine’ which was an attack on domestic violence. By the following year, they were internationally famous and yes we had the t shirt. The first Aussie band to sign to Crusader Records, which is Golden Robots new metal label, the new self titled album has been on the shelves for just a short while, but has already seen loads of attention.
‘Born N Raised’ is packed with decent lyrics that vocalist Glenn Patrick reels off without taking a breath. Fast and rolling like an unstoppable freight train, this opener is a rockin’ boogie with all the fine elements of the bands unabashed and unleashed style. ‘Devil In Disguise’ is next and it also swings into action after a gradual rise of an intro. Simple melody and punch drunk vocals hit you in the face and the chorus revolves in your head for hours after. ‘Bleed Me Out’ is a slide into the gutter and there are some awesome strings care of Matt Wilcock. Again there are a pile of lyrics that are so appealing. The single ‘No friend Of Mine’ as mentioned before, relates to violent abuse and the words tell the story. It’s a strong tune and no wonder it was such a chart success.
‘Collide’ continues in the same vein and there is a sturdy backing from David ‘Diamond’ Lee on sticks. The more upbeat ’Natural Disaster’ cuts it up and I love the lines ‘You’re a natural disaster, you’re here to corrupt my mind, if you want to pollute somebody, infect somebody else’. Don’t we all know someone we could point those words of wisdom at? ‘Save Me From Myself’ was also a single and managed to make No 1 on the Australian iTunes Rock Charts. ‘Glorious Machine’ features more cranked up guitar from founder member Wilcock and alongside him Ben Curnow (Earth) handles his bass with total control. Have to say the rhythm section is indeed a major factor with Shotgun Mistress, providing an unrelenting foundation for every track. ‘Glorious Machine’ refers to beauty and how you can fall victim to it. The song is another that wreaks havoc with its punishing riffs and fluid vocals and it leads rather well into ‘Pretty Little Thing’ which also races with screaming guitar and has an incredible vibe about it. As we reach ‘Analyse’ there’s a change in the air, this is more dark and sinister. I can hear similarities with the more grunge and stoner bands, like Stone Sour and I admire the bands capabilities to alter the flow and add more metal as it has a glorious low riff. ‘Grave Mistake’ and ’Technicolor Faded’ add more balance and I am in awe at the level of writing, there’s so much is packed and padded into each song. ‘May She Never Walk Alone’ is the only ballad and has the fabulous backing vocals of Penni Jones to give it an epic and wondrous charm.
To sum up then, this is one of the best debut albums I have heard for a while. The writing is one thing that stands out, the lyrics are poignant and ring true in so many ways. The added bonus of superb guitar from Matt Wilcock (The Berzerker, Akercocke, Abramelin) just makes it a really decent listen. Likeable rock and roll with no frills, what’s not to like guys.
5/5
Learn more about Shotgun Mistress on the links below;
https://www.facebook.com/shotgunmistress/
https://twitter.com/ShotgunMistress
https://goldenrobotrecords.com/crusader.../shotgun-mistress/
https://www.instagram.com/shotgunmistress/
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