French band Gang have now been around for some three decades. Their albums are full of energetic, beefy heaviness with more than the odd nod back to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal which one imagines they take much influence from. An honorary NWOBHM band indeed.
In 2018 they released a very fine album – All for One. My review of that album is here.
Now the band have a put out Strike ‘Em All – which is all the songs from All For One though this time with Marc Quee (Attentat Rock, Esclavitud, Queen Project) taking the vocals. And a fine job he does too.
Marc has this to say about how this came to be:
“My relation with the guys in Gang dates back to 2011. Over the years, I have played several times in Fismes and each time our friendship has grown stronger. So when they asked me if I could stand in for Bill at a concert in Paris, I accepted straight away. These guys have always treated me in the best of ways, every time our paths have crossed, so I thought I owed it to them for all the love and respect they’ve always showed me.”
To give you an idea of what to expect, have a listen to the All for One version of Follow the Sign.
Here’s a lift from my review of All for One – which is what you can expect from Strike ‘Em All with Marc’s vocal style being basically the only difference.
“Yes. The NWOBHM influences are there in abundance. As are the crashing riffs, meaty solos and throbbing bass/drums. Though with All for One the band demonstrate a more expansive, ambitious sound which stretches out in to progressive/melodic metal territory in a mighty fine way.
Cuts such as the Almighty, the Legend and Another Tomorrow have the Gang bombast allied with a nice melodic tinge amidst the twin guitars.
The song writing and musical arrangements get a more complex on Lord Tell Me, the Devil in Me and Warchild. All extremely well delivered.
Now – the highlight on an album of highlights. The title track. Monster, epic, heavy, progressive.
Weighs in at somewhere around a dozen minutes – all of which fly by. Everything comes together and comes alive fizzing with energy. Particularly the mid-section as the guitars trade licks with short, punchy, frenetic burst of solo activity. Superb stuff.
The closer – Save Me – is no back number either.”
Do check Gang out. Either version of All for One of Strike ‘Em All will serve as a fine introduction.
Here are some links to get you started and from where you can buy the band’s albums:
http://www.undergroundinvestigation.fr
http://www.facebook.com/gang51
http://www.undergroundinvestigation.kingeshop.com