Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Pride Of Lions
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2017
Length: 53:43
Rating: 4/5
Pride Of Lions are today’s living embodiment of the golden age of the eighties, when the so-called »west coast / AOR« sound flourished across North America. Founder Jim Peterik, former member of the all-too-famous tiger tamers and boxing buffs Survivor, has basically carried that whole legendary band’s philosophy into the present with his new musical project, shared on equal terms with the outstanding vocalist Toby Hitchcock, one of the most striking rock voices of the new generation. Of course, the songs now come dressed in a modern sonic outfit. But the spirit stays incredibly close to the essence of eighties AOR. A record like »Fearless«, the fifth album from Pride Of Lions, is one the late Survivor singer Jimi Jamison would have sung his heart out on. And yes, Peterik is basically the answer to why Survivor ground to a halt artistically in the new era. Stalled. They don’t have a songwriter anymore, so they have no inspiration. All of that inspiration is packed into Jim Peterik. So? If Peterik ever returns to Survivor (which is very much a pipe dream), they’d have a new album in the bag for sure. Until then, we’ll enjoy the work of Pride Of Lions.
»Fearless« has it all too. Anthems dressed to the nines from head to toe, stealing the spotlight from one another all over this record. The opener All I See Is You, a touch overblown in its positivity, if not downright syrupy, already hints that this album is brighter than its predecessor »Immortal«, and that most of the songs love to grow out of a major key. Peterik keeps his remarkable compositional inspiration, and his songwriting talent stays spotless on »Fearless« too. When the Hitchcock – Peterik duo got together in the Chicago studio where this album was recorded, the process caught fire with a surplus of creative adrenaline. Hitchcock sang twelve tracks in literally just two days of recording. That alone confirms what an extraordinary singer Toby is. These are demanding compositions, and especially on the ballads they show off (through the captured passion of relived emotions) this singer’s remarkable chansonnier power. He never runs out of dynamite, and his commanding presence, with the incredible strength of his melodic vocal purism, is at times almost jaw-dropping.
»Fearless« is the fifth album from Pride of Lions overall, and it arrives five years after its more-than-excellent predecessor »Immortal« (2012). As such, it lives up to its telling title. It’s wildly pumped-up optimistic and practically bursting with positive energy. At the very least it holds the quality level of its predecessor. That means that, artistically, the Hitchcock / Peterik duo don’t bring anything new or never-before-heard to the scene. There wouldn’t be much point in that anyway. The space is wide open for Pride Of Lions. Peterik’s musical contemporaries are mostly retired, and an album like »Fearless«, released in 2017, is a proper »little discovery« for everyone who still looks back nostalgically at that golden eighties era, when the hits of Night Ranger, Journey and Survivor ruled.
So the story goes on. Pride Of Lions’ new top-quality release is a textbook case of compositional perfectionism, the kind you can only really pull off in the (these days archaic) AOR genre. Provided, of course, that you’re the one and only Jim Peterik. And heads up: they don’t make songwriters like this anymore.
Pride Of Lions – The Tell (official audio):
Line-up
Jim Peterik – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Toby Hitchcock – vocals
Ed Breckenfeld – drums
Klem Hayes – bass
Mike Aquino – guitar
Christian Cullen – keyboards
Production
Jim Peterik
Track list
1. All I See Is You!
2. The Tell
3. In Caricature
4. Silent Music
5. Fearless
6. Everlasting Love
7. Freedom Of The Night
8. The Light In Your Eyes
9. Rising Up
10. The Silence Says It All
11. Faster Than A Prayer
12. Unmasking The Mystery
