I really liked the band Lionheart. Ever checked out "Hot Tonight"? It is often considered to be a forgotten
AOR classic.
Lionsheart however is a different matter entirely. Their first self-titled release was a take on
Whitesnake long after the craze had died off. "Portrait" was a great song, but the rest were filler like material that never caught my attention, especially because of the vocals. I never liked their vocalist, Steve Grimmett when he was in Grimm Reaper, he would hit these really annoying notes that were just like fingernails on a blackboard, despite the fact many consider him to be one of UK's greats when he was fronting the band. Luckily in
Lionsheart, he manages to keep the grating factors in check most of the time, even though the openings to a few songs with their wobbly screams are a bit cringe-inducing. But "Abyss" never really grabbed me, much like their previous efforts. To be fair I shelved the disc and came back to it later just to make sure my preferences could be set aside and let the music shine through but its still not that inspiring even though there are some good tracks peppered in here and there. After a couple of songs though, Grimmett has worn on me enough to reach for the remote and play something else.
But "Abyss" is not all bad, and certainly is better than their last effort, 1998's "Under Fire". The music is solid heavy metal with slight melodic bent, but reaches into rougher territory due to the raw production, that bends no knees to outside modern influences or studio tricks of the trade. This is pure bass, drums, guitar and vocals music (with a bit of keys here and there) that takes it back to the 80s basics and leaves nothing to the imagination. Comparisons can be made to Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and
Dio to give you an idea of what page this is from. Pretty much pure rockin' metal with no frills and a few thrills but it seems so derivative, perhaps because this style has been copied and done better by others. The backing band does their job and adds alot to the quality of the songs, especially the guitarist, Ian Nash, who has a knack for a good hooky riff that can fester in the head long after the songs have faded to silence.
Surprisingly good for a CD opener,
"Screamin'" is an upfront metal onslaught complete with one of those skin prickling wobbling screeches at the beginning. The chorus is catchy and carries the song nicely, which is upfront no-holds barred metal that has the
Dio edge, in the vein of stuff like "We Rock".
"Nightmare" borrows a lot from
Dio's early solo releases, which is a delight as always. When you are going to pilfer styles, might as well do it from the best and make it sound good like it is here, and not like a poor man's basement band.
Lurking guitars that sling along in the multi-layered sludge before stepping up into more melodic territory give "
How Can I Tell You?" an apprehensive quality as it rolls smoothly along the mid-tempo tracks.
"How Long?" sounds ripped right out of the mid 1980s "metal band ballad" archives and given new life to a shadowy ghost for 2004. The fact that the classic sound has been preserved so amazingly intact is enough to recommend it.
Others such as
"I'm Alive" see Grimmett sounding especially awful by trying to hit the higher notes and breaking in the process, which is a shame because he has managed to elevate himself far above anything accomplished before vocally on this particular disc (at least by my opinion which I'm sure many will not agree with). The song is also fairly repetitive which doesn't help despite the band's best efforts to save it with guitar squealing, rhythm pounding performances.
The Iron Maiden-esque
"Witchcraft" has some great electric six string sections but lacks personality overall. More nice guitar work can be found in
"Don't Waste My Time" but the rest of the track is so ho-hum typical material that it's not worth more than a quick listen or two.
"I Need Love" has a classic rock flavour in a half ballad form, but comes off as an unremarkable track that sounds like a mishmash of many bands and styles without finding a home of its own.
For
"Save Me" and
"Abyss", it's a fence sitting situation. Neither love or hate, some parts are done quite nicely, especially
"Abyss" which has this rich, dark
Black Sabbath quality with some crushing rhythms and haunting sound, but the overly done howls are too distracting for both songs and bring them down a few notches.
While its great to see another band rise from the ashes after several years out of the musical loop, especially when they surge back even better than when we last heard them,
Lionsheart still has offered up a mixed bag that keeps their return from being a completely triumphant one.
"Abyss" is home to a handful of gems, a true clunker, and a scattering of filler material that hold it back somewhat. This could easily have had at least four songs cut out and been a much better record for it. Sometimes more is really less, especially when the songs in question sully what would otherwise be a decent running order for a varied metal album. Those that want a piece of the 80s pie that has been resurrected with pride intact for the current day will find themselves right at home, especially those who enjoy the
Dio/Iron Maiden take on things. I personally love the two bands that
Lionsheart steals from the most, so the ones that take that style and run with it are worthy of replay. Just be prepared for a heavy handed nostalgia trip when entering this "Abyss", if you dive in head first expecting something fresh and new, you will be sorely disappointed.
Written by
Alanna Monday, June 21, 2004
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