Gun – Break The Silence (2012) Review

Fifteen years is a very long time — long enough to start a family, play in three World Cups, or finally finish Chinese Democracy.

For Gun, it was long enough for a career to fracture, for their momentum to vanish, and for the band’s identity to quietly reset around the Gizzi brothers.

Break The Silence arrives in 2012 not as a victory lap, but as a corrective; a deliberate attempt to rebuild trust with their fanbase after the missteps that derailed their original run, most notably 0141 632 6326.

A Failed Comeback Attempt

Gun’s return wasn’t straightforward.

In 2009, original frontman Mark Rankin declined an invitation to reunite, and Toby Jepson was drafted in as his replacement. Initial enthusiasm quickly turned to doubt when the polished Popkiller EP failed to reconnect with longtime listeners, and when the makeshift lineup soon imploded, it felt like the writing was on the wall.

For the Gizzi brothers, the message was clear: if Gun were coming back for real, they would have to do it on their own terms. In retrospect, Dante Gizzi stepping forward to handle lead vocals didn’t just fill a vacancy — it set in motion a new era built on old foundations.

A New Era

Within the first thirty seconds of opening track Butcher Man, it’s clear Gun have returned with purpose.

The effortless groove that underpinned their classic catalogue appears to have been finally restored to their sound, with the production striking a satisfying middle ground between the understated grit of Gallus and the towering scale of Swagger.

As such, Break The Silence sounds noticeably leaner than their mid-’90s peak, yet far more focused than the uncertain reinvention that preceded their hiatus.

The most notable shift, however, is the change in vocal texture. Rather than attempting to replicate the baritone weight of Mark Rankin, Dante Gizzi leans fully into his natural register. The result is a brighter, more direct vocal presence that subtly reshapes the band’s dynamic without diluting its core identity.

"I won't let you down this time,
Cause I can take it,
We can make it now."

BREAK THE SILENCE

Return Of The Rhythm Section

Album highlights are plentiful.

From the sombre acoustic reflection of How Many Roads to the meaner-edged guitar bite of Bad Things, Gun’s rhythm section is firing on all cylinders. One particularly inspired choice is the recruitment of drummer Paul McManus, whose pounding grooves inject the album’s twelve tracks with genuine urgency and forward momentum.

In the control room, producer Dave Eringa (known for his work with Manic Street Preachers) applies a light layer of sheen that flatters the band without sanding away their grit. As a result, the absurdly catchy choruses of Lost & Found, Running Out Of Time, and No Substitute feel like genuine contenders for mainstream rock radio.

But above all of these examples sit two clear standouts. First up is the rollicking 14 Stations, a classic hard rock number that proves Gun haven’t lost the instincts that once earned them arena-sized support slots in the mid-’90s. It’s followed by the massive Innocent Thieves, a golden nugget of uplifting midtempo rock built around an enormous singalong chorus.

And while Dante Gizzi’s vocal timbre may take some adjustment for long-time fans, his raspy multi-octave range bends effortlessly around these hooks with the confidence of a frontman who’s beginning to look increasingly at home in the role.

Crucially, the songs don’t feel like a band trying to recreate the past — they feel like a band moving forward with a new voice at the centre.

Where It Falls Short

If Break The Silence has a limitation, it’s that the band’s new identity won’t suit everyone.

While Dante Gizzi’s high-register agility — somewhere between Axl Rose and Gerard Way — brings a shot of freshness to the material, it inevitably reshapes the emotional texture of Gun’s sound, making direct comparisons to the Mark Rankin era more difficult. Some long-time fans will adjust quickly; others may simply miss the baritone weight that once anchored their biggest anthems.

There’s also the matter of the guitar work.

Giuliano Gizzi has always favoured restraint over showmanship, but here that restraint becomes almost absolute, with extended guitar solos largely absent. While this reflected a broader trend in 2010s mainstream rock — where flashy lead breaks were no longer considered fashionable — Gun have never relied on excess to begin with, and they could easily have carried those moments without sounding dated. As it stands, several tracks feel as though they’re missing a final flourish that might have elevated strong songs into truly great ones.

“We were hurt by 0141 and we didn’t want that to be the last thing we ever did. We’ve put all of our strength into creating a record which gives our fans some classic Gun, but with a modern twist because we no longer have Mark and Dante’s style is totally different.”

– Giuliano Gizzi

Gun: Break The Silence

Break The Silence doesn’t attempt to reinvent Gun — it reclaims them.

After years of uncertainty and false starts, the band return sounding unified, purposeful, and hungry, rediscovering the groove and clarity that once made them such a formidable proposition in the first place.

It marks the beginning of a new era, albeit one built on old foundations, and while the shift in vocal style may take adjustment for some longtime fans, the strength of the songwriting makes a convincing case that Gun’s story didn’t end with their ’90s peak.

Indeed, keep the groove intact, turn the distortion up, and Gun’s second life could prove even louder than their first.

>> Break The Silence is part of our Gun album review series.

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