elephant gunn - Manifest Destin

Elephant Gunn

Manifest Destin
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton

Elephant Gunn are four rockers based out of Phoenix, Arizona. The band has played shows in outlying areas including Surprise, Tempe and Scottsdale and they have released two EP's, the one at hand being the Manifest Destin EP. This album has a wide variety of sounds, from the hard and heavy to the golden oldies. As a whole, Manifest Destin leaves a little bit of a dirty taste behind considering the muddy distortion and delay sections, but it's all in the name of gritty rock.

This album builds and breaks like the jaws of street thugs, caught somewhere between Rage Against The Machine and Queens of the Stone Age. The guitars work for every riff, finding lineage and repetition, the drums pummel everything from a heavy surf rock beat to full on double bass rioting. The vocals are rich, but don't get in the way of the music, which is a tribute to the band in recognizing that their electric performance isn't tied to lyrics or vocal prowess. Throughout Manifest Destin, the band tries to portray new moods by alternating from hard rock to a soft edged grunge. It's a good method for keeping listeners interested - I would suggest that the tracks all bite from the start, whether that's hard or light, but too many of them lack a grabbing birth. I want to hear a strong riff being introduced right away and the only one that did that for me was "Suffocated By A Supernova." A thick wave of rocky fuzz needs no exposition and that makes this track stand alone.

"The Wake" may just have the best composition of the album. It has build worthy of the riff, the bass line is proud and steady, the drums powerful and groovy and the vocals are right where they need to be. The song journeys into heavier territory after the second chorus and it's enough to get anyone to bang their head. The walls of sound are bare and raw without any guitar solo or effects to distract. The ending is rather abrupt and didn't seem to be very cohesive to me, but it's permissible. There's some great guitar work on "Raise The Dead.” It's high, loose and very explorative anchored by tremendous chords.

"In Misery" is an artful bluesy tune that lasts too long, but shows a well versed side of Elephant Gunn in the process. I was immediately intrigued by the melodic intro and it didn't fall away at any point, the progression was solid and consistent, only deviating to a somewhat reggae halftime feel briefly. Then it was back to home run rock n roll. As the song dies out that same loner guitar intro returns in all its treble-less glory and melancholy undertow.

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