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Germany's Gun Barrel plays Heavy Metal in the "dirty Rock ‘n' Metal" style pioneered by the likes of AC/DC and Motorhead. Their songs are retro but with a modern sound (think Accept with Mark Tornillo). Their 2012 album, Brace for Impact, is almost uniformly solid with a few highs and lows. "Diamond Bullets," with its catchy chorus, has been rattling around in my head since I first heard it. "Books of Life" rocks while "Start a Riot" has an a cappella middle section that is tailor-made for the live setting. While those songs carry the album, the ballad "Turbolence and Decadence" is horribly dull and cliché.

Overall, Brace for Impact reminds me of how those early Saxon albums piled up riff upon riff, some working better than others, until you were overcome by their sheer weight of numbers. It is an album not without its flaws, namely some weak songwriting, but the stronger material and boundless energy more than compensate.