When it comes to American glam, metal mascara melting underneath the Sunset strip heat, and sleazy sticky rock one band stands apart… LA Guns. When it comes to seminal releases that land you on the historical rock pages, 1989’s “Cocked and Loaded” is just that and a little bit more. As the second album from the four man combo, “Cocked and Loaded” shot not one but three hit bullets into the LA glam metal scene and was the commercial peak of the band- one that through breakups, lineups and change-ups- would never be duplicated again.

So if we dial it back two decades how would “Cocked and Loaded” stand up today? Pistol punched or pistol whipped? Let’s take a spin and find out, shall we?

LA Guns - “Cocked and Loaded” 1989

With the short and sweet intro of “Letting Go” LA Guns’ “Cocked and Loaded” starts off with a bang and keeps pumping the ammunition for 14 tracks… it’s quickly clear that this is an improvement on their debut, as the whiskey swagger and raunchy riffs of tracks like “Rip and Tear”, “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “Sleazy Come/Easy Go” are catchy and defining. “The Ballad of Jayne” showcases founder Tracii Guns’ axe work and will keep Bic lighters in business for years to come.

However, while the rest of the album is tasty enough, the shot of “Cocked and Loaded” goes a bit too far, as despite the energy of the execution, it gets a bit repetitive. There is such an entity as too much of a good thing, and “Cocked and Loaded” gets caught up in its own cross hairs and the goal for a perfect “hit”, which it got in "Never Enough" , "The Ballad of Jayne", and "Rip & Tear".

Overall, “Cocked and Loaded” is a rock-hard release, carrying the glam flag high that bands like Motley Crue, Poison and Guns and Roses would soon after salute.

May the mascara and mayhem march on…

4 Stars