Review: Warm Guns - Warm Guns EP

John Lennon once said happiness was a warm gun. Well it turns out he may have been wrong. The Warm Guns' debut release is a 9-track EP released by those local supporters of all things head banging, Mere Noise Records. The Warm Guns are a four piece consisting of Amy Dzufer on guitar, Kellie Lloyd (better known as a member of Screamfeeder) on bass, Mel Lathouras on keyboards, and Murray Pas providing a backbeat. Vocal duties are split evenly among the band, lending a distinctively poppy vibe to the EP.

Opening track 'Even If I Could' starts well enough with grungy guitar and Rhodes keyboard making for an excellent intro but, once the vocals kick in, the song becomes an exercise in mediocrity. 'Bullet For Stu' follows a similar pattern, though the multiple vocalist aspect comes into its own, making for some nice melodies. Again though there is nothing to push the song above average.

'Irene Ballstein' doesn't mess with the band's formula. While musically the track is a little tighter than the previous two, its lyrical subject of rock and roll excess comes off as a failed attempt at irony. 'Breakdown' is more cannon fodder in this musical battle, with its hard rock riffing and 'yeah yeah yeah'-ing coming off a little tediously. The next track 'Gustav Bladivostock' is a little better. Rather than being stuck in the same gear as the previous tracks, the Warm Guns decide to mix up the pace a little here, and it pays off.

'Mr Sleaze' is the redeeming track on the EP. The song takes an entirely different tact to the previous songs. The vocals are brilliant and the track ends up sounding like the Stooges fronted by Aretha Franklin. Musically the track ups the ante as well, with a searing guitar solo mid-song attempting to steal the show. The Warm Guns' return to their old ways on 'Wanna Meetcha', though the song is decidedly improved on the first five tracks, with the vocals again dragging the track across the line.

'Turkey Neck' moves dangerously close to power ballad territory, with a chorus consisiting of the lyrics "Are you ready to die?" repeated constantly. The result is a very forgettable song. The appallingly named 'Suck My Cockney' is the last track on the EP and is almost as uninspiring and repetitive as the previous track. Ultimately the Warm Guns EP is a very shaky start for the Warm Guns. While the band definitely show talent on some tracks ('Mr Sleaze','Wanna Meetcha'), the rest of the EP falls flat.