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ARMSTRONG GUN
The Fearsome Age

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 8.5/10

It’s a big welcome back to the Armstrong Gun lads. There have been a few changes within the ranks of the Horley, England-based band with both Cameron Smith (guitar) and Dan Mortimer (bass) having departed in 2023, so the two guys responsible for this latest release are founding member Lewis Tocker (vocals, bass and drums) and Aaron Sharma (guitar and lute).

The Fearsome Age is the sophomore full-length outing from Armstrong Gun, a UK metal act that has impressed me greatly since their debut demo in 2020, but it was the 2022 self-titled album which for me really established them as a band to keep an eye on.

Now, if you like early-to-mid 80s New Wave Of British Heavy Metal then the opening strikes of ‘The Axe Is On The Oak’ will no doubt appeal. This is without doubt one of the band’s best ever songs, one which channels the likes of Saxon, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC; the feel is organic and the touch is red hot as it smoulders and swaggers. The vocals are strong and rich as are the lyrics, combing the fantasy realm as one can literally smell the dew damp leaves of the ancient forest that leers across the battlefields. The way the drum and riff drives through the storm is admirable and the track really sets the tone for the rest of the album to live up to.

There’s a sleazy, bluesy edge to ‘Loathsome Assembly’, a vibe of AC/DC kickin’ it with L.A. Guns, although lyrically the song is very much embedded in the fields of England: “Bolt the doors we’re terror from the shire, bringing well-earnt ruin, fury and fire. Sour, the ale on our breath, bodies sprawled, blackguards all…”. I feel like I’ve stepped into some folk-fantasy novel as the vocals spiral and almost crack before the tumbles of bass and drum. If I could transport Armstrong Gun back to 1979 then I’ve no doubt they’d be on the cusp of heavy metal greatness, rubbing shoulders with Holocaust, Desolation Angels, Vardis, Samson etc.

‘Saxon Queen’ is slow, slick n’ sleazy as again the riff ignites like classic AC/DC, burning slow to entice us into the flames. You know the nodding drum is coming but you find yourself tapping along as if you’ve just fired the track up on the jukebox. ‘Thunderfield’ ups the pace slightly, but the guitar remains at a sizzling level as once again a barroom style of rock springs to mind fused with the nature of Tygers Of Pan Tang.

The vocals do still have a few issues at times, but there’s a genuine rawness and maturity with this record. ‘In The Teeth Of The Gale’ has been plucked straight from the depths of 1980 and ‘Enter The Fold’ has a robust punk energy.

There really aren’t many bands around that sound so authentic and that’s not to say that Armstrong Gun are trying to ape the NWOBHM era, I just think it’s something in their blood that comes so natural to them. The way the chords build up, the sizzle of solos, the roughness of the vocals; the ingredients are perfectly aligned for what is a spicy recipe, sprigged with a dash of Budgie, early Def Leppard and Tank for extra bite. This is rock n’ roll… and I like it.

Neil Arnold

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