The North American Hard/Glam Metal scene on the 80's was rich. Yes, there were many bands in those days that deserved a better chance to show their music. Speaking the truth, there were cases of bands whose members played in giants, and their later works were better. One of these cases was from L. A. GUNS, a nasty quintet founded by Tracii Guns, who is famous for playing guitars on an old incarnation of GUNS N' ROSES (a famous band that lives off only one album). If you want to check, take a listening on "The Devil You Know", their latest work, and you'll see that The Bitch is Back for one more round! It's the same old and good Glam Metal sound with influences from ferine Sleazy Rock from the 80's, just sounding a bit more mature and aggressive. Yes, their nails are still as sharp as in the years of "Cocked & Loaded" (1989) and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991). And their melodies are excellent, as the choruses and how lovely is the energy rush that flows from these frantic songs.

The sound production did a very good work, indeed. The sonority of "The Devil You Know" is amazing, sounding organic (the instrumental tunes are responsible for this sensation) and aggressive, as they did in the past, but done in a form that everything sounds clean, loud and in a way that the musical arrangements can be heard clearly without great efforts from the listener.

The nasty and frantic rhythm of "Rage" (excellent guitar riffs and solos, with fine dirty melodies), the charming choruses and melodic impact of "Stay Away" (it's amazing how the voice of Phil improved since the 80's), the mix between catchy melodies and a solid set of harmonies shown on "Loaded Bomb" (in some moments, the abrasive elements of the song will remember the times when "Bitch is Back" presented their work to the world), the oppressive musical weight of "The Devil You Know" (the slow tempos improves the aggressive insight of the song, and bass guitar and drums are really creating a massive rhythmic work), the accessible feeling that permeates "Needle to the Bone" (it's still savage, but tempered with melodies that are easy to assimilate, and how lovely the vocals and guitars are sounding on this one), another mammoth tempos shown on "Going High" (this time, with a more deeper set of melodies), and... Hey, let's stop the cheap talking, because all the songs of "The Devil You Know" are great and deserve applauses. And by the way, "Boom" (the bonus track of CD and digital versions) is a nasty and introspective Blues/Glam Metal that is amazing!

Still savage and relevant, L. A. GUNS is back for the attack, and made of "The Devil You Know" one of the best albums of this year.