Pride of Lions
Immortal

October 2012
Released: 2012, Frontiers Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Remember Survivor? Chances are most of you out there either have no idea what band I’m talking about, or you distinctly remember their massive hit, “Eye of the Tiger”, and not much else. Perhaps a bit unfair, but Survivor will always be linked to that one massive hit, despite their success. Back in the early 00’s, former Survivor main man Jim Peterik started a new group with singer extraordinaire, Toby Hitchcock called Pride of Lions. After putting out four albums from 2003 to 2007, the Pride has been quiet, but this year sees the release of their newest collection, IMMORTAL.

If you know Survivor at all, then you can pretty much guess what you’ll hear on this album as Peterik is the driving force behind both bands. Yes, IMMORTAL is packed full of ultra-melodic songs, topped with keyboards and thespian vocals. Hell, there’s even a song that has the same type of pulsing bass beat and soaring vocals as “Eye of the Tiger” (“Coin of the Realm”). However, don’t let that give you the impression that Peterik is resting on his laurels, as there is plenty of inspired song writing on the disc; indeed the opening one-two of the title track and “Delusional” are as good melodic rock songs as you’ll hear this year.

That said, Pride of Lions is about as far from heavy metal as you can get and still use guitars. It’s not pure pop, but it is relatively light, musically speaking. Plus, cheesy tracks like “Sending My Love” have some truly cringe-worthy lyrics. Add it all up and you have a very good album that will likely have limited appeal to readers of Metal Rules!. Still, if you’ve got a soft spot for the lighter side of rock, IMMORTAL might just be a diamond in the rough worth unearthing.