PRIDE OF LIONS Album Review: (2024)

PRIDE OF LIONS
“Dream Higher”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Pride Of Lions are a melodic rock band from the USA, featuring the dynamic partnership of renowned songwriter/guitarist Jim Peterik and vocalist Toby Hitchco*ck. The bands seventh album ‘Dream Higher’ was released in 2023.

Jim Peterik – (probably) best known as the founder of the American rock band Survivor – is a songwriter who has co-written songs for numerous bands and artists. Bands and artists such as 38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar, Dennis DeYoung, REO Speedwagon and The Beach Boys to name just a few – and Peterik co-wrote Survivor’s number one hit single ‘Eye Of The Tiger’, the theme song from the 1982 movie Rocky III starring Sylvester Stallone. Toby Hitchco*ck is one of the best melodic rock singers around at the moment. Enjoying two decades as the frontman for Pride Of Lions, Hitchco*ck was also one of the three singers in a collaboration with Kent Hilli (Perfect Plan) and Robbie LaBlanc (Blanc Faces, Find Me), releasing ‘Naked Soul’ under the banner T3NORS, as well as carving out a successful solo career.

The band line-up for ‘Dream Higher’, is Peterik (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Hitchco*ck (vocals), Ed Breckenfeld (drums), Mike Aquino (guitar), Bob Lizik (bass), and Christian Cullen (keyboards and orchestration). The new album is ten songs and forty four minutes of top drawer melodic rock, immensely bombastic, and one hundred percent infectious – I’d even go as far to say “stadium rock”. ‘Cause every song on offer is deserving to be played at the biggest arenas in the world, with the oomph and energy on show simply incredible! Just take album opener ‘Blind To Reason’ for example – very quickly into its stride with pace and power, the energetic driving rhythm deserving to be played loud on a car stereo during a long summers drive! And as it happens to be pouring with rain right now, a long summers drive is currently out of the question – but the happy mood induced by the highly infectious ‘Blind To Reason’ more than makes up for the dampness outside!

The title song ‘Dream Higher’ is a melodic masterpiece, oozing energy and pizzazz in abundance, having the insane ability to plant smiles a mile wide on the faces of every listener, fan and follower. And after just two songs, the feeling of happiness that’s washed over me is incredible – I’d even forgotten it’s raining outside! Even though I’m a metalhead through and through, I still adore a good rock album, with ‘Dream Higher’ (the album) starting out terrifically! And getting better too – ‘My Destiny’ blending balladry with anthemic and hymn-like leanings to produce the feeling of a big number finish to a stage performance. You know the one, it’s where the entire cast return to the stage and the audience all join in! What a belter! ‘Find Somebody To Love’ may have the title of a ballad, but in no way shape or form is it a ballad – far from it! One of the most bombastic and up tempo songs heard so far, ‘Find Somebody To Love’ is a party starter, a crowd pleaser, and an all round hearty rock and roller!

A sensational beginning to the album, there’s just no stopping the band now, ‘Dream Higher’ (the album) marching on with ‘Another Life’, bringing to the fore an eighties rock sound that bands such as Boston, Chicago, Kansas, and other American city named bands invented. Pride Of Lions have taken on board that forty year old sound and made it ten times better, proudly carrying the torch of melodic rock for the last twenty years. A band performing at the top of their game, Pride Of Lions march on with the majestic ‘Renegade Heart’, maintaining a phenomenal intensity level, the band keeping a firm grip on every listener. And if you listen really closely, there are detectable touches of Swedish rock sensation Europe, and (fellow) American rockers Heart scattered all over ‘Renegade Heart’. Bloody amazing stuff! And now for one of the best driving anthems the album has to offer – ‘Driving And Dreaming’ an energetic gallop of head noddingly addictive sing a long ability. The pleasure derived from ‘Dream Higher’ (the album) is immeasurable, the sensations beyond belief, you’re gonna have to listen for yourselves to discover just how much!

But before I let you go, there’s still three songs to go – the first of which ‘Through It All’, is the only song on offer to exceed five minutes in length! And for every one of its five minutes, ‘Through It All’ melds an eighties sound with modern day finesse to produce a stadium rocking anthem that every attendee will thoroughly enjoy. For enjoyment is a massive part of what Pride Of Lions deliver – just imagine for a moment that the “lions” part of Pride Of Lions refers to the band members, then the “pride” part of the bands name refers to the feeling of deep pleasure and satisfaction derived from the achievements of the aforementioned lions! Am I lying? You tell me! And for the first time on the album, the band enter balladry proper for ‘Everything To Live For’, the swagger of a late evening slow dance perforating the airways. The reined in energy of a power ballad is an incredible feeling to behold, the sense that it could burst free at any moment is like sitting on a knife edge – the band reining it in perfectly. Bringing a very good album to a close, ‘Generational’ is a hard rocking finale, the hardest hitting of all the songs on offer, sitting proudly at the heavier end of the rock genre.

Overall, a marvellous melodic rock album, blending driving anthems with balladry and an immense energy level.

TRACKLIST

Blind To Reason
Dream Higher
My Destiny
Find Somebody To Love
Another Life
Renegade Heart
Driving And Dreaming
Through It All
Everything To Live For
Generational

https://www.facebook.com/PrideOfLionsBand

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