For those unaware, Leopard Skin (coming out April 1st, 2025 via Cleopatra Records) marks L.A. Guns’ fifth studio album since 2017, when guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited and released The Missing Peace.

“There’s the saying that a leopard never changes its spots,” Guns said in a statement. “But even so, they have a million different spots. And they’re all unique. It’s the same with L.A. Guns. We can’t shed our leopard skin, but there’s a lot of different spots in this band.”

While recent L.A. Guns albums have leaned in a more metallic direction, the first single off the album Taste It finds the band embracing its love of sleazy classic rock, with strutting, Stonesy riffs and Lewis’ libidinous howl. “When we started doing records again in 2017, I wanted to be really aggressive,” Guns explained.

“We hadn’t put out anything new in a lot of years, and we needed to be focused to have an impact. This one was a different approach. Musically, it was more about James Brown and soul music, with some ’70s sensibilities – things like Joe Walsh and the Rolling Stones and the New York Dolls. And the process was more organic. It was, Here’s a riff, go for it. Let’s see how many riffs we can build after this riff, and then going into the next riff.”

1. Taste It
2. Lucky Motherf*cker
3. The Grinder
4. Hit and Run
5. Don’t Gimme Away
6. I’m Your Candy Man
7. Runaway Train
8. Following the Money
9. The Masquerade
10. If You Wanna

This colorfully vibrant, wholly rock God impassioned new recording opens on the melodic 80’s power chords of the lead single Taste It and then we get the powerhaus Lucky Motherf*cker, the guitar-led roustabout The Grinder, the mid-tempo AOR of Hit and Run and then the low slung AOR of Don’t Gimme Away is brought forth.

Along next is the rhythmically-rocking I’m Your Candy Man and the countrified blues stomp Runaway Train and they are in turn backed by the screamfest that drives Following the Money, the sweeping balladry of The Masquerade, the music coming to an all-too-soon close on the rocker If You Wanna.

L.A. Guns will support Leopard Skin with a U.S. tour that begins on April 22nd, 2025 in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, following a stint on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in March.

www.lagunsmusic.com