When they released their first album in 1973, the vast majority were stunned. Their name had no vowels, but aside from their contribution to rock’n’roll, they even helped the listener right from the start by clarifying it was pronounced "lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd." However, the glorious days didn’t last long. Just three days after the release of their 5th album Street Survivors on October 20, 1977, a plane crash changed the future of a huge legend. Ronnie Van Zant, the leader of one of rock’n’roll’s finest men, lost his life. And until their 12th studio album God & Guns came out, I hadn’t listened to any Skynyrd album after Street Survivors. Still, curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded it. The result? I wish Ronnie had stayed true to his masterful era.
Still Unbroken
Simple Life
Little Thing Called You
Southern Ways
Skynyrd Nation
Unwrite that Song
Floyd (feat. Rob Zombie)
That Ain't My America
Comin' Back For More
God & Guns
Storm
Gifted Hands
When I first listened to the album, I was literally shocked and truly saddened. These guys weren’t like this the last time I left them. I had heard that they had gone downhill by the 90s, but post-2000 Lynyrd Skynyrd really became a “forced” band. One of the reasons I wanted to listen to the album was actually to write a review, but I immediately abandoned that idea after the first listen, because I would’ve torn Lynyrd apart, and that’s not something I wanted. But the more I listened, the more I realized, “Damn, these guys aren’t really Lynyrd Skynyrd, just people playing under that name, and this music isn’t Lynyrd Skynyrd’s either.”
The album title comes from a statement by Barack Obama, mentioning how people in small towns “cling to their guns and religion.” The first single, Still Unbroken, was one of the official tracks for the PlayStation game WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. Many of the songs on the album were co-written by Hughie Thomasson, who played guitar with Lynyrd from 1996 to 2005 and passed away in 2007 due to a heart attack in his sleep. On the seventh track Floyd, the southern uncles are accompanied by Rob Zombie, whom I don’t particularly like.
Starting with Johnny Van Zant’s vocals on the album: they’re really bad. He sounds like a wannabe post-grunge singer imitating Eddie Vedder, like the vocalists of Scott Stapp or Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) with their Richard Gere looks. It’s not really southern or country style, it’s very awkward. I’m not criticizing Johnny by comparing him to Ronnie, because if I do, no one would be left to sing for Lynyrd Skynyrd haha.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is the same now as 30 years ago. Not musically, unfortunately. The southern nationalism of 30 years ago still continues; it’s very clear in Skynyrd Nation, That Ain't My America, and especially God & Guns where they openly express that attitude. For example, in That Ain't My America they sing “You want to ruin old Uncle Sam, but I won’t let you,” and in God & Guns they say more explicitly, “God and guns keep us strong / This country was built on that.” The lyrics overall felt empty to me. They wrote complaints about “what we were and what we’ve become,” really shallow stuff. What’s Skynyrd Nation anyway!
Musically, I won’t analyze each track individually, but I have to say they got heavier. Sure, they made harder music compared to their peers back in the day, but now they have a sound that’s harder than typical Lynyrd Skynyrd. The best way I can describe this album—though it sounds a bit silly—is “like Pride & Glory.” Unfortunately, God & Guns is not a Pride & Glory (I’m not comparing to criticize). The album has a clean sound; the levels of bass, guitar, drums, and vocals are balanced. In a band like Lynyrd Skynyrd, it’s important to hear the guitars well. If you have a good sound system, you won’t have any trouble with that. I think this is what saves the album; guitar music lovers will like this album as well. Musically it’s not a very bad album since it contains quality rhythms and solos, but anyone who knows their stuff will notice most riffs are simple, flat, and the kind you’d expect from alternative rock bands. Still Unbroken, the first song and single, is a prime example.
I couldn’t give the album a clear genre name. It’s not Rock’n’Roll, and if I say Hard Rock, well, it kind of is but also isn’t, definitely not Heavy Metal or Blues Rock. I can call it Modern Southern Rock, but the “modern” label here isn’t innocent, unfortunately. Sometimes it feels like listening to one of those post-90s grunge imitators that weren’t even really grunge—though there were a couple of quality bands back then, which we liked as teenagers—like Nirvana or Pearl Jam wannabes. If you play this album to someone who knows nothing, especially Still Unbroken, they’d probably think it’s a band like Nickelback or Staind from America. Luckily, they don’t give up on blues roots in the solos, which somewhat saves the situation. Yes, there are genuine southern country pieces on the album, and yes, there are genuinely quality songs. Ironically, those are the very tracks I criticized: the nationalist but quality southern God & Guns, and Floyd—which, despite Rob Zombie, is the best track on the album in my opinion. Gifted Hands is a nice closing ballad. It could be classic for the album, a true southern rock piece like Simple Man or Tuesday’s Gone. There’s also Comin’ Back For More, which starts off like sludge but turns into funky rock’n’roll reminiscent of the 70s, but by the chorus, it falls below average.
Putting all that aside, and listening to the playlist without the Lynyrd Skynyrd name—just Artist - Track 01—it might sound like an average album. We’d probably say, “Who are these guys, they play well, do bands like this still exist nowadays?” But then when someone tells you, “Hey, that’s Lynyrd Skynyrd,” you’ll be utterly stunned, going through all sorts of emotions. At least that’s what I experienced. This is an album I can’t reconcile with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not just because it’s modern—the album isn’t even modern, and it’s not to be criticized for having a modern and quality sound and recording. It’s just simple, pop-like songs and straightforward rock music. The only saving grace is the solos, but that’s because they play blues, otherwise there aren’t any stunning solos. God & Guns is an album trying but failing to hold on to its southern roots while also attempting to catch up with the times, lost somewhere in between. Sadly, I say, “Guys, don’t you have anything better to do, please leave the band alone and don’t hurt us with albums like this.”
One last note: For those who don’t worship the band’s first two albums—which are the real Lynyrd Skynyrd—or the first five albums with Ronnie Van Zant, or for first-time listeners looking for something alternative, this album might be a light snack. But if what you expect from Lynyrd Skynyrd is like mine—of course they can’t play classic rock like 30 years ago, but there shouldn’t be an album that pains the bones of those who died in the crash, completely frozen in the past—you sadly won’t find what you’re looking for. If this was a project started in 2008 under another name and released in 2009, well, it’d be okay. But this is Lynyrd Skynyrd, and post-Ronnie Van Zant, it’s “not really needed.” Objectively, I give this album 6 out of 10, as a fan 3 out of 10.