2012 CD Reviews - Steve Harris - British Lion

Artist: Steve Harris
Album Title: British Lion
Label: Universal Music - 2012
http://www.steveharrisbritishlion.com

So there I was one day a few months back minding my own business scouring my bookmarked heavy metal news websites for information when I was suddenly thunderstruck.

I found myself reading the surprising news that Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris would be releasing a solo album. The fact that there had been no advance notice of this was a huge shock in a day and age where you know about the creation of an album from the birth of a riff to the finished product.

Impatiently, I waited for the release date to come, picking up the CD at that place we all used to know and frequent regularly, the record store. Instantly, the info I got from the booklet confused me because the album is listed under "Steve Harris" but then the band lineup is listed as "British Lion". Is this is project or the launching of a full fledged side project like Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith's Primal Rock Rebellion?

For those of you with the good sense to be Maiden true believers, you know that Steve Harris is a primary driving force behind the band's songwriting. The thundering music you hear from the band, he's had a hand in the music, the lyrics or both.

British Lion is NOT an Iron Maiden album by any stretch of the imagination. Recorded over months and perhaps years, this CD is a hard rock / rock and roll album.

In talking about the songs on this album, you have to dissect the two parts of a song, as both the music and lyrics are sadly in need of separate grading here.

Musically, the album could quite possibly be considered in the running to be my album of the year. The sound is just top notch. It has some great rock and roll riffage, solid pacing for the slower songs and a couple songs where a harder edge falls just shy of "metal".

But the album kind of falls apart for me when the lyrics and singing of Richard Taylor kick in to gear. It is not that the singing is bad, but listening the music, his vocal performance seems out of step and they come off as being very light. Taylor tends to occupy a higher vocal register in most of the songs and I think it would've been better if there was a grittier feel to the vocals making them feel more in tune with the music. At times, it feels like he's entirely too serene to be singing a rock track.

The opening cut "This Is My God" had a video made for it. It's okay but immediately demonstrates my point about the singing.

"Karma Killer" has that very hard edge to it, but the lyrics did not resonate with me at all. The songs "Us Against The World" and "Eyes of the Young" stood out musically as did "A World Without Heaven", but on the latter song, the odd pronunciation style on some of the lyrics took me out of the song. Meanwhile, the tempo change in the middle of "Judas" destroyed my enjoyment of the song.

Now it isn't all doom and gloom from me with the singing. Taylor actually did sound pretty darn good on a couple of faster paced songs, "The Chosen Ones" and "These Are The Hands". Unsurprisingly, these two tracks are my favorites on the album. I also enjoyed the album closer "The Lesson". I could be totally flipping out here, but it reminded me of the Disturbed song "Darkness" from that band's Believe album in style.

I'm glad I got the album, and that Steve Harris changed up his style for a "solo" album, but I just wish British Lion hadn't been so darn confusing to me. I fully expected something not Iron Maiden-ish, but this album could've been so much more to me with a different vocal performance.

The album is an enhanced CD that allows you to download the tracks to a digital device as well.

Grade: C (A for the music, D for the lyrics/singing)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon on November 2, 2012 at 6:54pm

The tracks I heard from this, thanks to Niels, did not interest me in the slightest. I am happy I did not buy this and I was tempted. Sooooo tempted. Nice review and I'm with you on the grade as well. It's not horrible by any means, but it's not something that I want to listen to more than once.