Recent Reviews

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

[ More Music Reviews ]


Sunbomb: Light Up The Sky
Sunbomb - Light Up The Sky Album Art

Sunbomb: Light Up The Sky

Heavy Metal
4.0/5.0

Facebook
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 26.06.2024 | Released: 28.06.2024

Tracii Guns and Michael Sweet introduced their Sunbomb collaboration in 2021 with Evil And Divine. Their desire was to create band and write music" as a tribute to the classic heavy metal of the 80s ...(which) melds influences of classic metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, and Judas Priest. Guns has said described the Sunbomb debut as "the metal record I would have made when I was 17 years old." Which would be 1983. Which would be over 40 years ago. Guns and Sweet are no youngsters anymore.

Tracii Guns & Michael Sweet - Click For Larger Image

Tracii Guns & Michael Sweet

Sweet has said the following about the new album: I'm always humbled to be a part of a project like this. This album takes the Sunbomb vision to another level with killer songs and amazing energy. Tracii really delivered on the riffs and it made it very easy for me to come up with melodies that were fitting for each song. It's different yet familiar at the same time in the best of ways.


Musically, Sweet is spot on in his in description. Light Up The Sky is the next chapter, the follow-up, to its predecessor. The metal is heavy and brooding but also, alternatively, sometimes raw and raging. Guns is laying down some very expressive and intense riffage, only to be directed to roaring solos. The rhythm section adds some thumping vigor with Guns' offering thick bass lines and LA Guns compadre Adam Hamilton bringing thunder to the drums.

Then there's Sweet in full metal mode going from assertive to raging to screamo. Yet this seems to be his recent vocal style (as found also in the recent Stryper album The Final Battle). I found him tough to listen to on the debut album. He's similar here, yet with versatility. For instance, with Unbreakable, Steel Hearts, and Beyond The Odds his raw and raging; for heavy steady songs like In Grace We'll Find Our Name or Winds Of Fate, he's also steady, heavy, and brooding; and with Where We Belong, he positively mellows (some) for a ballad. Perhaps not as similar, but Rewind comes off as an upbeat heavy melodic rock song.

All said, with Light Up The Sky, Tracii Guns and Michael Sweet deliver another homage to classic heavy metal. It's heavy, brooding, raging, yet melodic, metal all in one wrapper. If you liked the first Sunbomb album, I think you'll like this one even more. Recommended.



CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.


The Take Away

All said, with Light Up The Sky, Tracii Guns and Michael Sweet deliver another homage to classic heavy metal. It's heavy, brooding, raging, yet melodic, metal all in one wrapper. If you liked the first Sunbomb album, I think you'll like this one even more. Recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album at Amazon (US site) in your favorite format.

Purchase Sunbomb - Light Up The Sky at Amazon
Find A Review

Alphabetical Index

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z #
New & Notable
Read the Eclipse: Megalomanium II Album Review

By far, Sweden's Eclipse is one of my favorite bands. Always consistent and always entertaining, Eclipse has been delivering their 21st century version of melodic metal rock since songwriter, producer ... [ Read More ]

August 2024 Stats
  • Views: 15K
  • Active Users: 3.9K
  • New Users: 3.3K
  • Event Count: 43K

    • Source: Google Analytics