Band:	L.A. Guns
Album:	Leopard Skin
Style:	Glam metal
Release date:	April 01, 2025
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Taste It
02. Lucky Motherfucker
03. The Grinder
04. Hit And Run
05. Don't Gimme Away
06. I'm Your Candy Man
07. Runaway Train
08. Following the Money
09. The Masquerade
10. If You Wanna

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a glam.

Have you or a loved one been involved with the Sunset Strip scene? Have you ever used excessive amounts of hairspray? You could be entitled to the L.A. Guns name as compensation! Call now and make a lawyer very rich at your expense!

L.A. Guns has seen it all since the 1990s (well, except major success); from legal disputes to line-up disagreements, they're ideal fodder for a Behind The Music episode. Well, with the untimely passing of Steve Riley in 2023 and cessation of his version of the band, L.A. Guns are back to being the definitive version of the group, and celebrate with the release of their 15th album Leopard Skin, a record that sees the band age gracefully and tweak their approach to the benefit of listeners.

Perhaps Guns' appearance in the glam documentary Nothin' But A Good Time has given the band perspective, for Leopard Skin is a rather mature-sounding record for a band that was once throwing out party anthems called "Sex Action". Sure, there is still raunchiness to the tracks here, with the opening "Taste It" being about culinary delights (sorry, culinary is a typo), but it dials it down and goes for a far bluesier approach overall, which the band have a knack for.

By taking the obligatory power ballad and upping the blues, they turn what is usually a thumb-twiddling track into a finger-tapper in the form of "The Masquerade", while "Runaway Train" delves deeper in the Mississippi delta sound with an enjoyable addition of slide guitar, and both Tracii Guns and Von Johnson are dab hands at the change of style. This isn't to say that Leopard Skin sees the band abandon their roots; far from it, there is plenty of rock to be found, from the ominously titled "The Grinder" to the punchy "Follow The Money". However, the music just trades in the hairspray for a blues infusion.

There are a few 'OK Boomer' moments dotted around, from the attempt to use food euphemisms that would kill a diabetic on "I'm Your Candy Man" to the aforementioned "Taste It", while some of the rockier moments could use a bit more energy behind them to really land the punches the band are throwing on the likes of "Don't Gimme Away". When I reviewed Checkered Past, I mentioned how Lewis has a tendency to sound like Liam Gallagher on the microphone; well in, the interim, not only have Oasis reformed, but L.A. Guns have started sounding like that Mancunian bunch also, with "Hit And Run" possessing that vibe.

An improvement on recent efforts, the band's decisions to lean into their bluesier side pays dividends and results in the band's best release in years. While it will likely get lost in the shuffle of a busy year, Leopard Skin is certainly worth the time of day, should you give it a spin.