Lionheart continues its rise.
After numerous increasingly packed shows, Rob Watson (vocals), Nick Warner (guitar), Walle Etzel (guitar), Richard Mathews (bass), and Jay Scott (drums) have renewed their contract with Arising Empire for the release of their seventh album, Valley Of Death II.
We get straight to the point with Bulletproof and its typical Hardcore Beatdown riffs with a catchy groove topped off by Rob‘s voice and some motivating backing vocals that immediately make you want to move before slowing down for the explosive mosh part, then the intensity suddenly rises on Chewing Through The Leash where the band welcomes their compatriots from Kublai Khan. This track will undoubtedly be one of the climaxes of their shows with its unifying choruses, but also Matt Honeycutt‘s intervention before moving on to Ice Cold, which revs up the machine again with a fairly simple but brutal staccato rhythm infused with increasingly heavy, virulent Old School touches. Valley of Death II follows with tones openly designed to get the crowd moving at future concerts, stringing together increasingly stimulating moments, then the band gives us a respite with No Peace’s sampled vocals, creating a contrast with their usual savagery, which is obviously never far away and ready to adopt Trap influences to diversify its strikes. We return to a more traditional sound on the short Roll Call, filled with vindictive shouting and even more intimidating gang vocals, then move on to Salt The Earth, which allows us a moment of respite before returning to its energetic riffing with almost joyful and naturally catchy tones. Aggression resurfaces on Release The Dogs, a track that lasts less than a minute and a half but is infused with pure rage, before handing over to In Love With The Pain, which is sure to get the crowd moving if it makes it onto the setlists for the next tour. The composition strikes with simplicity, as does Death Grip, which also features A Day To Remember, who do anything but soften the sound and contribute to this sonic eruption to close the album.
I don’t usually listen to Hardcore or Beatdown, but the name Lionheart is so well known that I wanted to give it a try, and I was so right! While the riffs remain fairly simple, their pure effectiveness makes Valley Of Death II a condensed burst of rage and explosive energy just waiting to be unleashed!
90/100