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░ ██ ██ Artist: Three Lions ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Three Lions █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2014 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-02-14 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Hard Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Avalon / Marquee Inc. Japan ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Take a three-piece band, consisting of two-thirds █
█ of the musicians whose legendary status has █
█ already been deservedly attained in the melodic █
█ rock scene. Add some classic rock inspirations and █
█ brilliant songwriting. Stir together with a █
█ producer with the apparent Midas touch and spice █
█ up with some infectious, catchy melodies and solid █
█ instrumental backing. This ærecipeÆ was followed █
█ by a newly formed British power trio Three Lions █
█ closely enough to result in a perfect AOR-melodic █
█ rock album. With their line-up featuring the Vinny █
█ Burns (Ten, Dare, Asia) on guitar/keyboards, Greg █
█ Morgan (Ten, Dare) on drums, and a talented █
█ singer/bassist Nigel Bailey û and Alessandro Del █
█ Vecchio behind the console (his above Midas touch █
█ engaged also in some of the songwriting), Three █
█ Lions release their self-titled debut via █
█ Frontiers Records (yes, for the sake of the █
█ recipe). And the result of what theyÆve rustled up █
█ in the studio is simply stunning. █
█ In the first track, ôTrouble In A Red Dressö, the █
█ lyrical ego narrates: ôà She came to the party █
█ after the show à isnÆt that how the trouble █
█ startsà?ö The story goes on, illustrated with a █
█ brilliant, infectious melody and a rich guitar █
█ work; itÆs pure AOR/melodic rock which might as █
█ well be released thirty years ago. █
█ ôHold Me Downö is more mellow, a lite AOR █
█ mid-tempo song; with ôTwisted Soulö, the band █
█ delivers a dose of feisty, guitar-oriented melodic █
█ rock with a catchy chorus. The latterÆs follow-up █
█ ôWinter Sunö explodes with wailing guitar sounds, █
█ developing into a wistful piece of wonderful █
█ balladry. With the guitar-laden melancholy slowly █
█ fading, the next thing the listenerÆs treated with █
█ is ôJust A Manö û a dynamic, yet polished song █
█ with harmonized vocals, the one that could end up █
█ on any Survivor or, especially, Jimi JamisonÆs █
█ solo albums. █
█ Groovy guitars and a great hook of ôHoly Waterö █
█ precede a soaring power ballad ôTwo Hearts Beat As █
█ Oneö; particularly interesting is the storytelling █
█ track ôKathmanduö starting off with an oriental, █
█ Eastern-influenced intro and based on a slower, █
█ lumbering riff. ôMade For One Anotherö is a █
█ maudlin power ballad, clichΘd, yet still able to █
█ evoke a picture of thousand lighters held up in █
█ the airà and maybe, a tear or two from more █
█ sentimental listeners. █
█ The next track ôMagdaleneö is Magnum █
█ Vigilante/Goodnight L.A.-era revisited, a █
█ keyboard-driven, hooky rocker followed up by █
█ ôDonÆt Let Me Fallö û which initially seems to be █
█ another piece of schmaltzy sentimentality, and █
█ yet, turns into a nice and polished semi-ballad █
█ with a great melody. There is also ôHellfire █
█ Highwayö û an intense, hooky █
█ keyboard-and-guitar-duel kind of song with massive █
█ chorus, another AOR masterpiece û and the final █
█ ôSicilian Kissö, a piece of sublime instrumental █
█ wizardry with a bit darker and somewhat dramatic █
█ vibes to it. ItÆs a beautiful guitar-oriented coda █
█ to the well-crafted musical masterpiece. █
█ Three LionsÆ self-titled album is a perfect █
█ balance between instrumental prowess and great █
█ melodies, catchy hooks and dynamic guitar work, █
█ with not so distant echoes of where two of the █
█ three musicians come from music-wise (Dare, Ten). █
█ Speaking shortly, itÆs what album-oriented rock █
█ should stand for in the first place and as long as █
█ youÆre into AOR, no matter if you think classics █
█ such as Survivor and Journey or 21st century █
█ representatives of the genre, youÆre going to love █
█ this one. Highly recommended not only for Dare or █
█ Ten fans û go Lions! █
█ █
█ Nigel Bailey û lead vocal and bass █
█ Greg Morgan û drums █
█ Vinny Burns û guitars, keyboards █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Trouble in a Red Dress 3:43 ░
░ 2. Hold Me Down 4:49 ░
░ 3. Twisted Soul 5:12 ░
░ 4. Winter Sun 3:36 ░
░ 5. Just a Man 4:14 ░
░ 6. Holy Water 3:40 ░
░ 7. Two Hearts Beat as One 5:18 ░
░ 8. Kathmandu 5:15 ░
░ 9. Made for One Another 5:06 ░
░ 10. Magdalene 4:22 ░
░ 11. DonÆt Let Me Fall 5:01 ░
░ 12. Hellfire Highway 4:06 ░
░ 13. Sicilian Kiss 3:32 ░
░ 14. Don't Let Me Fall (Acoustic Version) 4:15 ░
░ (Bonus Track) ░
░ 62:09 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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