Lions Share Dark Hours
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
Time for a history lesson … Lions Share style. On the Swedish band’s new release, Dark Hours, the gents take you on a journey through the 1960s, but not the “free love, hippy, LSD, tye-dyed” ‘60s, but instead, the Charlie Manson-‘60s. You know, death, destruction, prison-murder, lying government decade. More metallic and viler than Emotional Coma, Lions Share keeps getting heavier and heavier with each release, casting away their Progressive Metal moniker that they found initial success with back in the late ‘90s with Fall from Grace.
Lions Share is truly the brainchild of talented guitarist Lars Chriss, with the other full-time members consisting of Patrik Johansson (vocals) and Sampo Axelsson (bass). The band used two session drummers for recording purposes, Richard Evensand and Conny Pettersson, and included guest guitarist Michael Romeo.
Dark Hours opens with “Judas Must Die.” Listening to the fury Chriss riffs with will remind you of the insane Jeff Waters, self-proclaimed the “fastest riffer in the world.” Take a listen to what Chriss does on any song on Dark Hours, and let the argument begin. “Judas Must Die” is about delusional murderer Charlie Manson, who inspires the band on a few compositions on this release. With lines like “Rebel commander … or just a devil in disguise,” you’ll get their point. The manic pacing and bludgeoning vocals make this one of the best tracks on Dark Hours, and it’s just the opening song.
The song “Demon in Your Mind” sounds Dio/Black Sabbath inspired, with Johansson doing his grittiest Dio-ish vocal delivery. You can hear in this song why the band went a new direction from former singer Andy Engberg, who was a massive talent. Engberg couldn’t pull off something this violent, though, and Johansson’s powerful bellowing energizes the already shockingly fevered track.
You don’t have to riff at a trillion MPHs to be effective — ask Iommi. So, when you get to “The Bottomless Pit,” you’ll hear Chriss take his foot off the pedal and riff with a little more chunky, doomy style. Another song about Manson, you will dig their lyrical journey through madness: “Chains … I really love my chainsaw. It’s like a chain reaction, come and do the dance.” As the song brutally crescendos to the best chorus on the CD, you’ll be coming back to this one again and again.
In an interview with Hardrock Haven, Chriss talked about “The Presidio 27,” a prison uprising where 27 prisoners protested the blatant murder of a fellow inmate Richard Bunch. It’s actually uplifting hearing the chorus, “Sons were dying, mothers crying, pride was suicide. 27 souls from heaven, pride was in their eyes.” This is one of the few songs that are mid-tempo on the release, and Johansson, when he takes the edge off his voice, is uber-melodic — you can hear exactly why he is Lions Share’s singer.
Was America the first country to land on the moon? Yes, but doesn’t that conspiracy make for a wicked song? “Space Scam” is the question of, “Have they ever been here, have we ever been there, to walk the surface on the back side of the moon?” The way they change tempos during the song, with racing, grinding verses and a slower, melodic chorus highlights their songwriting ability. While the riffs pummel you in the head, Chriss can also lay down some raging solos, and his solo on “Space Scam” is one of the most rabid on Dark Hours.
Lions Share is the odd band that continually gets heavier each release as they flirt with major success. Bands like Metallica, who are mellower than Nickelback today, could learn a lesson or 12 from Lions Share. You don’t have to sell out, you can continue making the kind of music you want, while not only keeping but growing your fan base. Dark Hours is “dark” both thematically and musically, and will go down as one of the most cohesive and outright impressive releases of 2009.
Online: Lions Share
Label: Blistering Records
Track listing:
Judas Must Die
Phantom Rider
Demon In Your Mind
Heavy Cross To Bear
The Bottomless Pit
Full Metal Jacket
The Presidio 27
Barker Ranch
Napalm Nights
Space Scam
Behind the Curtain
HRH Rating: 8.2/10