Gentlemens Pistols
Gentlemens Pistols

November 2008
Released: 2007, Candlelight USA
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

What year is this? 2008, right? Forgive my time lapse there, but after listening to this debut by Leeds’ Gentlemen’s Pistols, I could swear that it was actually 1974 and I was listening to the new split album by Deep Purple and Free. As you might guess, Gentlemen’s Pistols is a total throwback to a bygone era of rock music, when rock could border on being heavy metal and still be pure rock ‘n roll. If you’d like an apt comparison to a more current band, think Witchcraft.

Whatever the case, I’m enjoying the hell out of this album’s old-school sound and style mixed with modern production. The fusion of straight-ahead rock riffs (“Just a Fraction”) and doomier, blues-based songs (“Heavy Petting”) is so masterfully done that you can’t help but nod your head in approval. Fittingly for such authentic-sounding songs, vocalist James Atkinson sounds like he was saved from an obscure ‘70s garage band and transported forward in time to front Wolfmother – if that band had been scrapped and replaced with better musicians. Hell, he even does a reasonable Eric Clapton impression on the brooding Cream-esque “The Lady”.

While this might be a little TOO retro for some, fans of ‘70s music can be assured that Gentlemen’s Pistols is keeping the flame burning bright. While their sound may be old, they have plenty of fresh ideas and riffs that will hopefully keep them going for a long time to come.