10 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Songs Of 2018
6. Hollywood Burns – “Girls With Guns”
It doesn’t exactly take a music degree to notice that “Girls with Guns” is not a metal song. Metal is but one of the ingredients that this track uses, with heavy percussion and virtuoso guitar tapping punctuating what is otherwise three minutes of symphonic synthwave.
The track is the big single off of Hollywood Burns’ 2018 debut, Invaders. The album continued the modern resurgence of synthwave which was first implemented by fellow Blood Music label alumni like Carpenter Brut, GosT and Perturbator. And while they may have joined this movement slightly later than their pioneering label-mates, do not think that Hollywood Burns are merely hangers-on to a popular musical sect.
The French outfit aren’t just a synthwave group, and incorporate not only metal hallmarks but, more noticeably, also the ominous orchestras of classic ‘50s B-movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still. “Girls with Guns” is the most concise song on Invaders, yet its briefness makes it Hollywood Burns’ urgent and anthemic stand-out.
The high energy is constant, fluidly weaving through dance and rock music conventions, while the string sections create a sense of other-worldly drama and grandeur.
For fans of electronic, metal, classic cinema or all of the above, “Girls with Guns” is a certified belter.