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This is what happens when a band pays attention to their craft. Tailgunner showed up to record their debut album, Guns for Hire, with a whole bunch of well put together songs featuring loads of excellent riffs, catchy choruses, and flashy leads. Iron Maiden is ground zero for Tailgunner's sound and they continue to refine their take on it from their previous EP, faithfully following the blueprint but putting their own spin on things. My favorites are the speedier tracks like "White Death" (which along with four other tracks, also appeared on the band's Crashdive EP) and "Warhead." I love how the tempos on these cuts get my heart racing, probably because my feet are tapping out the double bass drums constantly. That's me, though, and I'm sure others will find more to like in the mid-tempo numbers. Not every track is amazing ("Rebirth," Tailgunner's attempt at a long, Maiden-esque album closer in the vein of "To Tame a Land" and "Alexander the Great" is a bit too long and loses me about halfway through), but none are anything less than really good, so it is a very consistent album and a hell of a lot of fun. For anyone into straight up, no bullshit heavy damn metal, Guns for Hire is an album to check out.