Pride Of Lions
Immortal
Frontiers Records
2012
Surely, I’m a sucker for big AOR albums… especially from the 80s when this music was on its peak, but I cannot argue the fact that we didn’t have exceptional AOR releases in the 90s and the 00s as well. Jim Peterik (songwriter/musician/producer) is responsible for that and certainly, he is one of the best melodic rock/AOR composers of all time. Pride of Lions’ debut stunned the whole AOR community and it is considered to be a “classic” release… now after almost a decade, I can tell that for sure.
The other two albums are excellent too but I think that with each new release, the project called Pride of Lions is moving a step away from the top. They haven’t lost their freshness or their creativity even if it’s too hard to write/release masterpieces all the time. Jim has been involved in other projects & solo albums all this time. Although Jim is a great songwriter, he’s not a “hit” making machine and it is natural to need a break so as to be more inspired when it comes to songwriting.
“Immortal” is the album which I fancy less from all the 4 releases of the band… but do not misjudge me here. It’s not bad or mediocre… obviously, it’s wonderful and it contains some remarkable tunes, but it’s not as consistent as the previous releases. The production is top-notch and clear as fresh water… plus, everything seems to be working prominently here. There’s also a song called “Vital Signs” which brought the astounding self-titled record from Survivor back in 1984 on my mind… and as Jim said, he did start writing this song back then but he only finished it now! It’s kinda weird huh?!
To be fair, I must say that “Immortal” contains a classic AOR ballad, the astonishing “Are You the Same Girl”. Only Peterik can pen such a moving and touching song. I’m sure that each and every one of you will find their beloved tunes out of this album and will like it anyhow, especially if you’re into AOR/melodic rock music…
The other two albums are excellent too but I think that with each new release, the project called Pride of Lions is moving a step away from the top. They haven’t lost their freshness or their creativity even if it’s too hard to write/release masterpieces all the time. Jim has been involved in other projects & solo albums all this time. Although Jim is a great songwriter, he’s not a “hit” making machine and it is natural to need a break so as to be more inspired when it comes to songwriting.
“Immortal” is the album which I fancy less from all the 4 releases of the band… but do not misjudge me here. It’s not bad or mediocre… obviously, it’s wonderful and it contains some remarkable tunes, but it’s not as consistent as the previous releases. The production is top-notch and clear as fresh water… plus, everything seems to be working prominently here. There’s also a song called “Vital Signs” which brought the astounding self-titled record from Survivor back in 1984 on my mind… and as Jim said, he did start writing this song back then but he only finished it now! It’s kinda weird huh?!
To be fair, I must say that “Immortal” contains a classic AOR ballad, the astonishing “Are You the Same Girl”. Only Peterik can pen such a moving and touching song. I’m sure that each and every one of you will find their beloved tunes out of this album and will like it anyhow, especially if you’re into AOR/melodic rock music…