LION'S SHARE - review added 2nd July 2009
Album Review: Dark Hours (2009)
For fans of: Heavy Metal... and Judas Priest style musings
Lion's Share is a heavy metal band from Sweden. They've been around for a good few years now and released their first, self-titled, album in 1995. Apart from a gap between '01 and '07, they have religiously released albums bi-annually.
The band consists of Lars Chriss (guitar), Patrik Johansson (vocals) and Sampo Axelsson (bass). For the recording of this album they used session drummers Richard Evensand (Chimaira, Soilwork, Therion) and Conny Pettersson (Anata). Michael Romeo (Symphony X) also makes a guest appearance on guitar.
Dark Hours is the follow up to the well received Emotional Coma and treads a similar, if slightly faster and louder path. The music sounds like a Germanised version of Judas Priest. Not bad for a group from Scandinavia. Patrik's vocals are standard metal fair - solidly screeching but unlikely to make Frank Sinatra turn in his grave. The string players are similar; very talented but missing that last ounce of magic. This is a band with plenty of scorching style but the performances are never going to set the world on fire.
The album kicks off with definite proof they can write a mean track though. It's an unsubtle nod to one of their main inspirations, both in name and style. 'Judas Must Die' is a catchy speed-infused track that belts along like a whippet with a firework up it's fudge tunnel. The verses are sharp bursts of lyrical madness and the chorus hits like a ninja. It's a cracking track and opens the album with a wallop.
'Phantom Rider' is a mid paced metal monster that sounds run of the mill through the verses. The chorus however slows right down and is very, very good. There's plenty of fancy guitar soloing throughout and some of the rhythms are compulsive listening. 'Demon In Your Mind' starts just like Judas Priest's 'Painkiller' then turns into something akin to a dance version of a Masterplan track. It's strangely good fun, even though it should by rights be a pile of horse cack.
'Heavy Cross To Bear' slows matters down to a chugging pace. Though it isn't remotely ballad-like in its structure, more a slow-motion version of armageddon, the track has a heart-felt edge. 'The Bottomless Pit' has a bombastic 80's sleaze feel imbedded in its belly. Think Motley Crue crossed with Iron Maiden and you won't be far off. 'Full Metal Jacket' is more like throttle-open-wide thrash. The chorus is way too musical to be thrash however and gives the song a wonderful dimension.
'Barker Ranch' is an odd one. In parts it sounds breathtaking, in others it's as mundane as a pair of gray pajamas. 'Space Scam', however, isn't at all mundane. It makes do without a big flash chorus, but the body of the song has a fantastic beat and Patrik does a brilliant throaty impression of Jorn. Final track 'Behind The Curtain' closes the album with more of a whimper than a wallop, but you can't have everything...
Dark Hours is a fine album with plenty of good tracks. There's nothing phenomenal on the disc, but there's plenty of nearly-there material. The first track is especially good. Overall, worth a listen or three but probably not Lion's Share's finest work to date.
Check out... The cover. It's seriously cool, although very similar to the one from the previous album.
Track List:
1. Judas Must Die
2. Phantom Rider
3. Demon In Your Mind
4. Heavy Cross To Bear
5. The Bottomless Pit
6. Full Metal Jacket
7. The Presidio 27
8. Barker Ranch
9. Napalm Nights
10. Space Scam
11. Behind The Curtain
Label: Blistering Records
Band websites: Lion's Share , MySpace
