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Militarie Gun

Life Under The Gun

Written by: PP on 15/11/2023 14:16:30

There's been plenty of hype surrounding Miltarie Gun and their debut album "Life Under The Gun" this year. They were formed by Ian Shelton of Regional Justice Center fame, but whereas the latter is a hardcore band at heart, his new project is distinctly more melodic punk rock in its nature. In such a short span they've managed to tour across the world and are scheduled for a second performance on Danish soil this year in a couple of weeks' time.

"Life Under The Gun" is characterized by mid-tempo punk rock songs with one foot in alternative rock and the other in a hardcore basement. The latter comes from Shelton's grated clean vocals that have a scratchy base to them, the former from the melodic guitar lines that wouldn't feel out of place on indie rock albums.

Songs like "Never Fucked Up Once" and "Return Policy" are examples of the band at their best, introducing just enough hardcore edge here to draw comparisons to Drug Church (bassist Nick Cogan is also in Drug Church). They both feature melodic choruses and catchy hooks, yet there's a constant nagging feeling that the energy-levels feel artificially constrained and slowed down. The songs have an explosive nature given Shelton's vocals that is just not reflected in the instrumentals and the tempo of the songs.

As such, the album feels like it is nowhere near as energetic and aggression-laden as it could potentially be. There are plenty of catchy moments on songs like "Sway Too" or "Think Less", but it somehow feels intended for the hipster crowds and for people who don't really listen to punk rock bands as a result. Maybe that's also the point, but at least for yours truly, "Life Under The Gun" comes across as only decent with a huge missed potential.

Download: Very High, Return Policy, Never Fucked Up Once, Life Under The Gun
For the fans of: Drug Church, Sundown, Drain
Listen: Facebook

Release date 23.06.2023
Loma Vista