Three Lions – Three Lions

Ahhhhhhh the eighties! Way back when I was a teenager at school, a lot of my friends and I would share and swap music coming from the great classic rock bands at that time such as Van Halen, Whitesnake, Journey etc. I have very fond memories from back then, and every now and again another band or album comes along that reminds me of that time of my life. This debut album from Three Lions is such a band and album!

There are many reasons for this, not least that the band consists of Vinnie Burns (Dare/Ten/Asia) on guitars, Greg Morgan (Dare/Ten) on drums, and introducing Nigel Bailey on Lead Vocals and Bass.

The album opens up with a classic sounding AOR mid tempo rocker “Trouble In a Red Dress”. This song has melodies that grab you and has you hooked from the word go. Great guitar licks and rhythms that have that feel good factor complete with keyboard in the background. “Hold Me Down” continues with that feel good factor as a very positive, vibrant and upbeat sounding summer tune. The guitar playing here is sublime and for me the song is reminiscent of Sammy Hagar era Van Halen. One of several highlights from the album “Twisted Soul” has a gentle slow vocal opening which quickly builds into a faster moving tempo and some awesome riff work coming from Vinnie and dual guitars in places. This track is probably one of the busiest on the album in relation to content and structure as it starts off gently and then changes, rocking along hard in places.

First of the ballads on this album “Winter Sun” is a pleasantly delightful classic rock ballad with a smooth whining guitar lead throughout and slow, precisely measured drum rhythms and smooth vocal harmonies. Two more rocking numbers follow suit, with “Holy Water” containing fantastic guitar grooves and is one that easily gets your foot stomping and your ass shaking. I do detect a certain Eddie Van Halen influence in some of Vinnie’s playing during a few songs in the album and this is one of them.

“Two Hearts Beat As One” is another ballad and Love song which is perhaps low key but the chorus is infectious as the instrument and vocal sounds laze their way and meander smoothly along. This is perhaps the most relaxed, chilled out song on the album. Another highlight for me, “Kathmandu” starts off with a far Eastern vibe. This song is perhaps the most epic in sound with fantastic riffs and melodies throughout, and lyrically has some fantasy story telling that a lot of the classic metal and progressive bands have been renowned for in the past.

Two more ballads and another mid tempo rocker precede another highlight from the album, “Hellfire Highway”. This song completely rocks hard as the pace really picks up with fantastic quick drum rhythms and faster guitars. There is also an amazing guitar solo here that shows off Vinnie’s credentials as a very skilled and talented musician. The album ends with Instrumental “Sicilian Kiss”. This is a relaxed slow driven instrumental which as a whole I do not think is an essential element for the album and would not be missed if it wasn’t there. It just gives the album a pleasant wind down before it finishes.

In summary I really do love what Three Lions have done with their debut album. It brings back to me, the sounds I listened to in the eighties, mixing Melodic AOR, Hard and Classic Rock with a slight nod to the above bands previously mentioned. The album flows smoothly as it moves along. There are hooks and melodies galore throughout with fantastic guitars, soaring vocals, and tight rhythms. The sound quality and mixing is spot on. All the instruments, vocals and levels seem to be pretty equal and distinguished. This also is a vibrant summer sounding album and one you could easily relax to while chilling, or blast out in the car sound system while you are driving along. From the evidence here, Three Lions easily stand out as one of the UK’s finest Rock bands around at the moment, and hopefully will have a bright future ahead of them. The Rock world needs bands like Three Lions.

Track Listing:

1. Trouble In a Red Dress
2. Hold Me Down
3. Twisted Soul
4. Winter Sun
5. Just A Man
6. Holy Water
7. Two Hearts Beat As One
8. Kathmandu
9. Made For One Another
10. Magdalene
11. Don’t Let Me Fall
12. Hellfire Highway
13. Sicilian Kiss

Three Lions is available now through Frontiers Records

Three Lions are:
Vinnie Burns – Guitars
Nigel Bailey – Lead Vocals & Bass
Greg Morgan – Drums

Please visit Three Lions at:
www.facebook.com/threelionsuk