Album Review: LA Guns - Renegades

Among the things I hate about the music industry is the drama that bubbles up and threatens to swallow the music whole. In the majority of these cases, when you boil it down, it's all about money. Yes, bands are businesses, but the public posturing to put money ahead of everything else gets old for us. There's no need to give us reason to think less of you; many times we already have a low opinion.

I have made no secret about my thoughts regarding the recent LA Guns albums. They were somewhere between mediocre and terrible, and in no way lived up to the band's status as 'legends'. But that's now what we're talking about here today. No, we're talking about the OTHER LA Guns. Yes, there are now two of them, and isn't that a depressing thought?

This version of the band is led by guitarist Steve Riley, who was jettisoned from the other version of the band, but claims partial ownership of the name. Hence, LA Guns joins the infamous list of bands that have existed fractured, confusing fans and watering down whatever legacy they once had. It's a joke, and not a particularly funny one. But is the music any good?

I can dispense with that question quickly. No, "Renegades" is not an album you need to hear. That being said, it's still better than the other version of the band, for the simple reason that this record doesn't sound like a home demo. The straight-forward rock being played here is at least played and recorded competently, which I suppose is an accomplishment. Not to speak ill of the dead, but both the other LA Guns and Quiet Riot are veteran bands that put out some truly horrendous, embarrassing sounding record in recent years.

These ten songs offer nothing of note. Riley and his cohorts don't have much songwriting to rely on. These songs have boring riffs that lead to vocals without any sort of hook at all. They come and go before you even realize what was going on. There is music that's subtle, but this kind of rock and roll isn't supposed to be that. For an in-your-face rock band, LA Guns has absolutely nothing to say. This version of the band isn't filling big clubs, and this music is exactly the right soundtrack for this. It sounds like the original material your local bar cover band trots out. I won't use the term 'piss break', but someone else might.

The only thing worse than one LA Guns is two. Neither version of the band is worth listening to these days, and the fact that there is still money to fight over amazes me.

Give it another record or two like this, and maybe both versions of the band will fade into obscurity, as they should.