Modern Day Escape have been out on tour with Black Veil Brides recently, and it shows on the Ohio hard rockers’ sophomore album, Under the Gun, as reminders of BVB’s We Stitch These Wounds (2010) and Set the World on Fire (2011) resonate throughout, huffing and puffing and threatening to rock your house down. Although, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering MDE’s drummer, Sandra Alva, is also a former member of the bridezillas and was bound to bring some of the BVB magnetism. Locked and loaded with hard rocking tracks, Under the Gun is anthemic, energetic, groovy and exploding with a balls-to-the-wall attitude that gets one-man-moshpits started like a boss. Prepare to have your face riffed off by the meaty ‘Don’t Hold It against Me’ and the Charlie Sheen-approved ‘Tiger’s Blood’, before you whip out the air microphone to sing-along to the call to arms of ‘The Syndicate’ and the unofficial Pirate Bay song ‘City of Thieves’. Against my principles, I also find the more commercial, yet lingering, ‘Life’s a Bitch’ to be another standout track; the song lures you into its melodic web, traps and refuses to let go, hypnotising you with its ingenuous lyrics and powerful musical backdrop. Under the Gun is a positive reminder that all is not lost in modern rock. In MDE, we still possess a band that gets “it”. Simply put, Under the Gun is one of 2012’s most exciting rock releases.