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In the mid- / late 90's the Swedish band Lions Share was quite active and toured Europe with Nevermore / Iced Earth and with Saxon to support their album Two. They have been through changes and then vanished for about 6 years. They returned in 2007 with Emotional Coma - and a new sound. Now it's time for Dark Hours!
They storm off with Judas Must Die, a fast riff-based tune... Power metal with a dash of thrash. The refrain hooks you up and with singer Patrik Joahnsson they have a singer with a huge range who can adjust to every tune. For Judas Must Die they did a video clip, and I think it's a good choice, coz it represents nowadays Lions' Share very well and shows the craftsmanship. After a short intro they go full force into Phantom Rider - a bit US metal-like with high-pitched parts and deep, mean vocal parts. A dark tune with a catchy hook. At Demon In Your Mind are parts which remind me of Judas Priest, but next moment there are reminiscences to Dio... All songs show that mastermind Lars Chriss is a influences by the 80's metal bands and the guitar heroes of the good ol' days.. Heavy Cross To Bear is quite Dio-ish... Sounds almost like a cover version! Fast drumming and crunchy riffs force Full Metal Jacket ahead and they add a catchy hook and some shredding. The Presidio 27 is a mid-paced rocker with fast passages. The closer Burning The Curtain is also offering speed changes, the slower passages have a balladesque touch... Then they speed up again and add some heavy riffs. A powerful, epic tune.
A good album with some catchy tune with heavy riffs and great vocals, but nothing new. Sure, if you have Patrik Johansson singing and a skilled guitarist like Lars Chriss you can't go wrong. But in their early years they had their own identity, now they present cool songs which have a modern production, but carry the 80's vibe. For my taste a bit too Dio-ish vocals... Too many reminiscences to the 80's heroes... Everybody who still likes to listen to the 80's heroes should check out Dark Hours! Full Metal Jacket, The Presidio 27, Heavy Cross To Bear and Judas Must Die might give you a good impression...
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