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THREE LIONS
Three Lions

Frontiers (2014)
Rating: 8/10

I’m not sure how many of you rockers out there recall a solid British rock band called Dare, but they released a batch of impressive albums right up until 2012 and featured guitarist Vinny Burns, who is one-third of Three Lions. This new hard rock trio also consists of another Dare member, drummer Greg Morgan, who alongside vocalist / bassist Nigel Bailey should be making waves with this self-titled debut slab of melodic rock.

Now, the first thing you’ll appreciate when you slap this opus on is the simplicity of these driving numbers, all of which exhibit soul, fire and energy without complications or ego. This is good, sold hard rock that has such an effortless feel with songs that are instantly catchy and positive in their nature.

As soon as ‘Trouble In A Red Dress’ pumps in with its delicious guitar and drum clump we’re overloaded by gorgeous melody, sincere vocals and hooks which dig deep into the system. There’s an air of the understated about this release, with Three Lions merely intent on rocking hard and letting the music do the talking. And that’s something the band do with ease, meaning that this is one of the most consistent records you’ll hear this year.

‘Hold Me Down’ begins with a struttin’ chord you’d expect on an AC/DC opus, but lyrically it’s another positive slab: “The sun in the sky makes me feel so alive, all these days I’ve waited to be here, watching the girls go by, the best time of the year”. The chorus of this song is inviting, summery and oh so simple; it is foot-tapping stuff built around a humble guitar pattern and Nigel Bailey’s warming vocal performance.

But if you think this is just a middle-of-the-road rock plodder then think again as the band exhibit a harder edge with ‘Twisted Soul’, and take things to a higher level with the epic-sounding strains of ‘Winter Sun’ – another anthem of hope and bombastic melody wrapped up in those yawning guitars and that heartbeat of a drum.

As the tracks drift by in a summery sort of haze we can only lay back and let this soft rock shower rain over us. From the organ-laced ‘Just A Man’, the Eastern swirls of ‘Khathmandu’, with its chirpy sitar-styled opening, to the rugged chug of ‘Hellfire Highway’, there is enough variety yet enveloping warmth on this 13-track platter to keep any hard rock fan happy.

It takes a special group of musicians to assemble such a modest set of grooves and yet present them as something away from the norm without spraying such melodies with gimmicks, but Three Lions have achieved this by getting their head down and focusing on the matter at hand, and with excellent production from Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline) you can’t really go wrong with this blend of innocent riffing, basic, yet strong vocal harmonies and no frills energy; proof that hard rock music can still hit the mark when stripped of ego, glitz and anarchy.

Three Lions are the new driving force of British rock and evidence that even with those hints of familiarity there is still room for hooky music when delivered with such class.

Neil Arnold

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