ALBUM REVIEW: The Burning – British Lion

Steve Harris just can’t sit still. The IRON MAIDEN bassist could have taken time off and relaxed on the beach between legs of the ongoing Legacy of the Beast cycle, but no. Instead, he went back to his side project in BRITISH LION, a band he initially began managing in the early 1990s before stepping in as bassist and bringing out a self-titled record in 2012, and recorded another record. Eight years on, a gap longer than any IRON MAIDEN release, and sophomore record The Burning arrives tomorrow via Parlophone.

That aforementioned debut album might have gotten plaudits from the larger publications, but it didn’t take much digging beyond this to find that, in general, it received a significantly lukewarm response. Indeed, even Harris himself has admitted that touring the record captured it in a much better light and, with the band fired up from touring a couple of years ago, he set about bringing the recording of The Burning more in line with the ‘live studio’ vibe that he has captured with MAIDEN for the entirety of this decade.

Additionally, he’s made sure there was a collaborative effort in the writing process, joining forces with vocalist Richard Taylor and guitarist David Hawkins in the creation of this eleven-song, one-hour album. The result is something to be proud of, because The Burning is a vast improvement on its predecessor and shows BRITISH LION is far more than just a vanity project for the driving force behind one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

Given that Harris has been involved in the writing, there are a lot of moments on here that will draw comparison to his main band, whether it’s the trademark gallop on the title track or the twin-solo attack from Hawkins and second guitarist Grahame Leslie on the catchy Last Chance. In fact, on both counts – and you can throw opening track City of Fallen Angels in for good measure here too – they wouldn’t have looked out on place on either The X Factor or Virtual XI from the supposed ‘dark period’ of MAIDEN‘s career in the mid-late 90’s when Blaze Bayley was singing.

However, elsewhere on the album, there are some seriously big tracks that have the LION roaring loud and proud. First is Father Lucifer, an excellent, driving rock song that demands your attention and is the first moment where BRITISH LION feel like they’re stepping into their own. Then there’s second single Lightning, a more progressive track that sees Richard Taylor flourish vocally. So often on the debut his voice was a weak link that derailed songs from properly soaring but here he’s on much better form; he’s also impressive on Legacy a little later on in proceedings. The decision to bring that ‘live studio’ nature to the production has also produced dividends, because everything sounds bigger and hits harder as a result.

Perhaps the biggest success of The Burning though is that, with IRON MAIDEN supposedly announcing a new album of their own in the not-too-distant future, it’s not going to get forgotten and shelved. There’s enough quality across this album for fans of all classic rock and metal outfits to enjoy regardless of what Steve Harris might be bringing out next. At the very least, he’s safe in the knowledge that he’s got a well-oiled outfit to fall back on when his main commitment eventually hang up their guitars for good.

Rating: 8/10

The Burning is set for release on January 17th via Parlophone.

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