Year: 2020
Total Time: 01:00:11
Label: Parlophone
It’s a common truth that the first BRITISH LION album didn’t change the music world, despite the fact that it was a “decent” release. An average melodic Hard Rock album, with some beautiful moments scattered here and there, with Harris’s bass dominating and the vocals of the lead singer Richard Taylor somewhere at the front.
Nowadays, playing longer together as a band, with three extensive club tours across Europe, they are a more consistent group and the results are really good. Increased maturity in the writing is also evident in relation to their first release. “The Burning” gave to the band an opportunity to open its wings and implement ideas that seemed to exist in the debut album. So this is really the sound of a band that now feels “comfortable” with itself…
In the album, there are some really good tracks that make the “British Lion” roar loud and proud. First comes “Father Lucifer”, a great rock song that demands your attention and is the first time that BRITISH LION show the comfort that exists between the members. Then, there’s the second single, “Lightning,” a more Progressive track that shows us Richard Taylor’s vocal flourishing. In the debut, his voice was probably the weakest link, but here he is in much better shape, almost striking in “Legacy”.
The production is more solid and the music adds an extra boost to ‘The Burning’. The drums are less rigid than before and give extra energy to the whole album. The guitars are also more dynamic, without going into Heavy Metal paths and of course the bass, dominating in a way that only Steve Harris himself can.
“The Burning” doesn’t really change my view of BRITISH LION, it probably confirms it. They are a decent band that doesn’t try to become IRON MAIDEN, but instead does something entirely of their own. And I like that! But it’s not a band that I feel an overriding desire to listen to or an album that I feel the urge to buy.
Rating: 6,5/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: BRITISH LION – Official Page
