Is this Skateboard Rock music or what? If it is and there is this type of genre, or did I invent one? It is kind of nice. This is not a battle against the merchandises of the mainstream; this is a tryout to become mainstream, the modern Rock mainstream. Some say that three times a charm, yet some say that three strikes and you are out. Well, after I took a spin of the new German EAT THE GUN's third release, "Runner", I would have to assert that this trio of Americanized fun in the sun didn't strike out but didn't charm in a level that would storm me to hang on to them for a while longer.

However, I wouldn't say that I wasn't attracted to them at all, because that would be a foul thing to say. EAT THE GUN's Grungy musical attitude and song writing approach along with their modern Metal & Rock N' Roll flares, savored some great moments that would linger for a rather long period of time in the heads of Seattle Grunge fanatics or crazy rocking mainstream groupies. "Runner" is exactly it, an easy listener, rocking, and metallic Grunge album following the early signs of NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS or STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and DIE TOTEN HOSEN. I still have strong tendencies that lead me to believe that Grunge is dead (I am sure that most of the old school Metalheads would be rejoiced), yet for a dead Rock subgenre, it pretty much came alive even not in the same magnitude as in the 90s.

At first "Runner" caught my ear not with its material but with its sound production. It suited the band's style so well. Such a bombastic form and good quality mixing & mastering work weren't that in the same shape in the 90s. EAT THE GUN should be glad of their producer's end result. They surely busted my nuts with their. Hail to you Toni Meloni (Also worked with Metal bands as DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER and THE SORROW), the idle hands behind the controls. Nonetheless, their material didn't surprise me at all. Through first waves of the self-titled and its followers, I understood that EAT THE GUN made a modern Grunge album that resembled a lot to 90s FOO FIGHTERS creations. Furthermore, as a persuader to my claim, I have to admit that I pictured FOO FIGHTERS's classic release, "The Color And The Shape", in my mind more than often while I listened to "Runner".

"Down In The Fire", a sort of a semi Rock / Grunge ballad, although a bit monotonous, was one of the album's tracks that I really connected myself too. In the more catchy stuff department I liked the highly commercialized "The Remedy" and "Daredevil Supreme". The octave oriented power chords stormed in and out with lots of good energies. EAT THE GUN aimed to that purpose, which was to be smooth and easy, and fulfilled it. Tracks as the self-titled, "Liberator" and "The Evil in You and Me" were neat tracks but they had painful misses. The first had such a good Grungy vibe but vocalist Hendrik Ücüncü canned the prime moments of the chorus with a failing vocal rhythm. Moreover, he was that weak due to him being eaten by the other channels. The middle was a powerful mover but it lacked to move me. It had a superb trouble-free piece of chorus but nothing more. The latter inflamed with amazing vintage oriented lead section that resembled of great 70s moments. Even so, I couldn't understand why EAT THE GUN chose to stretch its length with dull rhythm that might rise to a funny thought that they are a bit complex. That is still a mystery to me.

The rest of the tracklist is more or less in the same level as the examples I gave you. No new news. "Runner" is on with the Skateboard fun spinning around with an all American rocking Grunge to the face just as in the 90s but with a heftier production.