Tailgunner “Midnight Blitz”
Tailgunner is being hyped left, right and centre as British heavy metal’s future. Perhaps the talking heads are right.
Judas Priest legend KK Downing describes Tailgunner as having “a youthful freshness and a uniqueness that will no doubt elevate them to being a true metal favourite of the fans”.
They released their debut album “Guns for Hire” in 2023. Since then, they have a new guitarist and a new drummer and have signed a record deal with Napalm Records. The new album, “Midnight Blitz”, has been produced by KK Downing, who discovered them when they were an opening act for his band KK’s Priest.
I remember the very capable vocalist Craig Cairns from his tour of Japan two years ago with Induction. He impressed me then and he impresses me now. The rest of Tailgunner consists of Thomas Hewson (bass), Zach Salvini (guitar), Rhea Thompson (guitar) and Eddie Mariotti (drums). It’s a good bunch of musicians, above and beyond the also-rans.
Musically, Tailgunner lives somewhere between NWOBHM and power metal. At times, Tailgunner reminds me of Enforcer (not least on the terrific title track), but with a more contemporary sound. It is fast, riff-happy and catchy metal. There is a clear foundation in NWOBHM, but the sound is here and now.
I like the epicness and self-confidence of songs such as “Follow Me in Death”, “Barren Lands and Seas of Red”, “Blood Sacrifice” and “Eye of the Storm”. As a nod to the melodic heavy metal albums of the ‘80s, there is a power ballad in the form of “War in Heaven”. This band has the performance skills and the songs to make this stand out. It is also melodic and catchy enough to attract mainstream listeners.
This album’s great. With the backing of Napalm Records and KK Downing, this band has a proper chance of breaking through the noise. They are doing shows opening for HammerFall, Fozzy and Accept and have a summer full of European festivals. They have the chance. This can be their year. Let’s hope they grab it.
Tailgunner’s new album “Midnight Blitz” will be released on 6th February via Napalm Records.
