78. Tailgunner - "Guns for Hire"

Badly done traditional metal is an irksome and irritating beast. On the other hand, well done traditional metal is life-affirming and a veritable chicken soup for the soul. This is very much the latter. 

There is something wonderfully heartening about the way Tailgunner have balanced reverence with revolution. They are exquisitely aware that they are meddling in a style that has been done to death. They don’t try to reinvent but instead, they breathe new life into this potentially quite tired musical form. 

They bring an exuberance and self-awareness that many purveyors overlook. Good metal works when the perpetrators are fully aware of the absurdities and stupidities of the genre. This is a veritable love letter to every landmark trad metal release. It is aware of the frailties and inadequacies of the genre but also is steadfastly aware of the reasons why we love it. A bombastic masterclass in how you do reinvention.