L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns recently spoke with Ultimate Guitar about the current metal scene. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

UG: What's your view on the current rock and metal scene these days? Do you like any of the younger bands? Is there anyone that stands out?

Guns: "Yeah, there's this great younger band called Judas Priest (laughs)."

UG: But except for them, anyone else?

Guns: "You know... nothing grabs me. I don't want to lie and be gratuitous about it. Pantera, to me, was probably the last metal band that was still new to me when it came that really knocked me off my feet. But it doesn't mean I'm not listening to music I haven't heard before. Right now, I'm really starting to discover black metal. And beyond that, bands like Satyricon... a lot of the stuff like that. I'm learning about it, I'm listening to all that music. And it's really interesting to me. And the culture and a lot of it has to do with... I'm married to a Danish woman, so she's brought a lot of Scandinavian metal into the house. That's very interesting to me.

"The current rock scene is really good for L.A. Guns. I mean, I can look at it that way. There's not a lot of bands doing exactly what we do, and we're not doing anything that anybody else is really doing. And that doesn't mean there's not a lot of rock bands. There are rock bands and they're doing stuff. But I think that in rock, everybody's kind of doing their own thing, and that's healthy. Like, the new band that everybody's talking about, Greta Van Fleet. They've got that garage-rock thing going on. So they're capturing that vibe and that audience. Other than them, I don't really know."

Read the complete interview here.

Frontiers Records has concocted another meeting of the minds, this time bringing Tracii Guns and Stryper frontman Michael Sweet together for a new project dubbed Sunbomb. Guns announced the collaboration via Twitter.

 

 

So , I’m in the middle of making the metal record I would have made when I was 17 years old . The band is called SUNBOMB . I really want to thank @michaelhsweet for making this a reality and of course @FrontiersMusic1 we are on instagram @sun_bomb

— Tracii Guns ❄️ (@traciiguns) 8. März 2019

 

 

I’m excited to be a part of it Tracii🙏 Who would have thought when we were young that we’d be working together. Thank you for trusting me with the vocal duties👊 SUNBOMB is gonna be Bomb🙌 https://t.co/w8Cd7qGPWq

— MichaelSweet Stryper (@michaelhsweet) 8. März 2019

L.A. Guns have premiered the video for the opening track of their upcoming new album, The Devil You Know, which is set for release on March 29th via Frontiers Music Srl. Check out "Rage" below.

Pre-order The Devil You Know on CD/LP/Digital here. Signed LPs, limited edition red vinyl, merch bundles and more available from the band store. Limited edition yellow vinyl on offer at this location.

Sonically, The Devil You Know covers a lot of ground and incorporates influences from Black Sabbath to Led Zeppelin to Kyuss to The Hellicopters, all while distinctly sounding like L.A. Guns. The band is rejuvenated and inspired after relentless touring and are literally taking no prisoners.

"After the success of The Missing Peace, a lot of people requested that the next record stay on track with the more metal side of the band's music, which is my personal favorite side of the band," says Tracii Guns. He continues, "I drew from my typical influences of NWOBHM [New Wave Of British Heavy Metal], while still not forgetting my earlier influences of the late '60s and early '70s. I wanted to lead with the track "Stay Away" because it’s a familiar L.A. Guns sound, but even a bit more metal. Something to get everyone’s palate wet."

"It's loaded with attitude and most of it bad," says vocalist Phil Lewis of the album's lyrical content. You want a love song ---- off and listen to Journey. They say write about what you know, and lord knows we've all known some evil bi----s and dudes that have gone out of their way to make life difficult for us. We say unanimously from the whole band ---- you, we're going places you could only dream about. We know what it's like to be put down, poked, ridiculed... but guess what, looks like we get the last laugh. This band has always been fueled by adrenaline and anger and this record is a glimpse inside the carnival of rage that dwells deep inside our collective souls. Not much sunshine and hold tight to your lollipop... this is gonna be a fast, loud, bumpy ride!"

L.A. Guns are truly one of the great American hard rock bands of the last 30 years. Since their self-titled debut in 1988 to the widely praised 2017 comeback album The Missing Peace, L.A. Guns, led by Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis have always delivered solid rock ‘n roll to their fans.

This current incarnation of the band has been touring non-stop and the cohesiveness of the unit, not to mention Phil’s stunning and unique vocals and Guns’ mind-bending guitar playing, are on full display here. A must hear and listen for all fans of the band, both new and old!

Tracklisting:

"Rage"
"Stay Away"
"Loaded Bomb"
"The Devil You Know"
"Needle To The Bone"
"Going High"
"Gone Honey"
"Don't Need To Win "
"Down That Hole"
"Another Season In Hell"
"Boom" (bonus track)

"Stay Away":

The current lineup of L.A. Guns is as follows: Phil Lewis on vocals, Tracii Guns on guitar, Johnny Martin on bass, Shane Fitzgibbon on drums, Ace Von Johnson on guitar.

In live news, L.A. Guns will return to the stage on March 29th at Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California. To view their complete tour schedule, visit the band's official website.