Gus G
Brand New Revolution
Power Metal/Heavy Metal
Released: 24th July 2015
via Century Media
Gus G should be no stranger to any heavy metal fan. The amount of work he has put out over the last 10+ years is shearly staggering – be that with Firewind, Dream Evil or the prince of darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne. In early 2014 we got his debut solo record ‘I Am The Fire’. I did like this album but it was missing a spark. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what I couldn’t get into, but it just didn’t feel right. At least not to me. However, with this new album on the horizon Gus G takes it above and beyond. ‘Brand New Revolution’ is nothing short of amazing. Every song feels complete and Gus takes everything he has learned over the years and capitalises on it tenfold. Also the album boasts feature guest vocal appearances from Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen, Journey, Talisman), Elize Ryd (Amaranthe), Jacob Bunton (Adler, Lynam) and Mats Levén (Candlemass, Yngwie Malmsteen, Treat).
Opening on the blistering instrumental tune ‘The Quest’, where Gus just shows off his skill and displays amazing fret control. Just an air guitar fest of a song. After this, every song features a vocalist, so I think it would be best to tackle this album by each singer. Jacob Bunton brings an energy and a charisma to the songs he performs on, including the title track ‘Brand New Revolution’. These songs are played very much to his strengths, just good rock ‘n’ roll style songs with tight riffs and packed solo’s. If there’s one thing Gus knows how to do is pack an amazing solo into a short space on a track with ease. Jacob has a great voice for these songs and sings with a great amount of confidence. Particularly on the track ‘Burn’, which I feel he was really comfortable singing. I can hear why Gus wanted him to sing on the majority of the album. Singing on 5 of the 12 songs on the album.
Next on the plate we have Jeff Scott Soto, who does a decent job with the songs he’s given. These tunes have a NWOBHM vibe about them and feel like throwback tunes. Soto has a pretty recognisable voice and I feel he’s utilised pretty well on the songs. Distinctly on ‘Generation G’. Although I like Soto, I think his songs are the weakest on the record and generally feel rushed. He’s definitely having fun, so that energy he’s bringing to the tracks works pretty well here.
Elize Ryd is one of my favourite singers of the last few years. I’m a big fan of Amaranthe, and any generally anything she’s on. She seems to be the queen of collaborations at the moment. She’s done featuring guest vocals on so many tracks from Kamelot to Nergard, and it’s pretty cool to hear her pop up here. This is one of the few times she has a song completely to herself, as she is usually singing with someone. Let me tell you now, she can carry a song easily on her own. Gus has given her this dirty sounding almost tech metal song. ‘What Lies Beneath’ is a great tune with a fun beat and fits Elize’s vocals well. Her vocals just soar here.
Mats Levén, in my opinion, gets some of the strongest songs on the album. He is also the one who sounds the most comfortable on this album. ‘Come Hell or Highwater’ is a fun power metal tune, with some decent rock n roll ideas thrown in. The other two songs he features in are pretty great too. Especially the album’s closing song ‘The Demon Inside’, in which his performance is impeccable. Just great stuff. Something also has to be said for the backing band on the album too. Gus G regulars, Jo Nunez (Firewind) on drums and Marty O’Brien (Lita Ford) on bass, sound awesome as always. The chemistry just shows on the album making the music even richer.
Overall, I freaking love this album. It far surpasses Gus’ previous solo album, as there’s more consistency and just more fun. He has a passion for metal like no other. Just a rip roaring fun record, made for any fan of heavy metal. Can’t believe I’m awarding my second five out of five this year, but this one has earned it.
5/5
Mick Birchall
Valkyrian Music 