REVIEWED: The Shooting Guns - "Born To Deal In Magic"

Written by Dan Nightingale

Shooting Guns is heavy on the fuzz, with guitar tones that sound like Wooden Shjips or Sleep. Think uber heavy, ultra distortion, with some extra fuzz thrown on top. Even the drums sound crunchy. Their EP “Born to Deal In Magic” is heavy on the beats, riding hypnotic grooves over and over as various elements surge in and out of the mix. The bass and drums do what they do best in this genre: it's sort of the musical equivalent of pareidolia, where you start to hear new sounds and pick out your own melodies against the infinite pattern of repeating grooves.

Swirling synthesizers make up most of the dramatic flair on top of churning riffs, filling the place of a vocalist. Rather than trying to get too technical and write a bunch of “songs” with a lot of needless “parts” or “structure” the band seems to prefer to just trudge forward with one catchy riff and let the elements mix organically – some will argue to great effect, others to the point of boredom. However you lean, you can't fault their commitment; I can only assume that the live show involves massive stacks of tube powered amplifiers, and if so these guys are showing their real dedication to the art of Doom.

It's a hard genre to impress people even at live shows where crushing volume can compensate for lack of harmony or lyrics, and even more difficult on a record. “Dopestrings” stands out by taking what you thought was the bands '10' and pushing it to 11, there's something mildly resembling a guitar solo, and warbling synths keep the listener hooked and waiting for more. ''Black Hand' adds layers of harmonies and even more soaring guitar. It's another excellent doom trick, building from the most cavemen-esq of ideas through the album until you start to approach actual rock and roll territory.

There's no way I'm missing these guys at Pop Explosion, with the Pack A.D. (!) at Reflections, where I'm sure massive dance music subwoofers will be put to excellent new use. Bring your earplugs and your weed and try to avoid the brown note (or bring spare pants).

http://www.teargasrecordingtree.com/artists/shootingguns/