Gentleman’s Pistols – At Her Majesty’s Pleasure
Gentleman’s Pistols – At Her Majesty’s Pleasure CD (Rise Above Records)
2011 has been an incredible year for albums; with some top notch releases from Neurot, Relapse and especially Rise Above. Without doubt Gentleman’s Pistols’ sophomore release is one of the best. From the driving opener ‘Living in Sin Again’ to the near epic closer, the grinding (not in the Brutal Truth sense) ‘Lethal Woman’, this has class stamped all over it. Potentially one of the best bands the UK has turned out in decades (and they can back it up live too as evidenced up by their triumphant opening slot for Corrosion of Conformity at Bristol’s Fleece & Firkin last month). There’s shades of Zeppelin/Free at their bluesy best on ‘Some Girls Don’t Know What’s Good For Them’, the pop-rock hooks of Sweet and Kiss, and some almost Maiden-esque soloing (especially on ‘Midnight Crawler’). ‘Your Majesty’ stands out as possibly one of the most perfect examples of 70s rock I’ve ever heard. Sounding like the younger brother of Sabbath’s ‘Sabbra Cadabra’ filtered through the Hellacoptas; a comparison which rears its head again on ‘I Wouldn’t Let You’. If this song doesn’t make you want to rock out, you seriously have no pulse. Pure unabashed hard rock, with a cheeky lyrical nod to the nuances of 70s rock (‘The Ravisher’, ‘Peeping Tom’, ‘Sherman Tank’ etc). A faultless album that should grace the collection of any rock fan, regardless of genre. Ian Pickens
