Steve Harris – British Lion
uMe
www.steveharrisbritishlion.com

Rating: B

Steve Harris is most famous for the bazillion albums his band, Iron Maiden, have sold. Fans argue whether he, or Geddy Lee, is the best rock bass player of all time and his Maiden lyrics have influenced hundreds of Metal bands. With all of his success, he is still hungry, musically. So much so that he has now, over three decades into his career, released his first solo album.

Harris explains, ““It’s taken years for this to come together. Originally vocalist Richard Taylor and guitarist Grahame Leslie sent me a tape – that should show you how long ago this was. I was just impressed and decided to help them a bit and it went from there.

“I thought the songs were so strong it’d be a crime if it they didn’t see the light of day. It’s very different but there are some Maiden elements in there. Not that I’ve ever worried too much about what people think!”

The album was reportedly recorded between Maiden tours and the music put to tape –err to computer disc—or whatever they do these days, was kept secret and surprisingly not leaked out to the rabid fan base.

While this music is, despite what Steve says, light years away from Maiden, the music has a very cool mix of modern edge and old school rock. One could hear this on the radio today, yet one can hear influences of Judas Priest, UFO and other old school metal bands throughout the album.

Kevin Shirley, who has produced his share of Iron Maiden albums, produced the disc and quickly picked up on the darker side of life that much of the album concentrates on. The opening song, “This is My God” is the best song on the album and sets the stage for what is to come.

Harris explains the albums two era influences, “That’s because British Lion may be a new project but its soul was conceived decades ago. Yeah, to me it’s just a collection of really strong songs. It’s all about melody and the 70s feel and attitude with a modern edge. It’s going out and doing the music you feel is right.”

Not to sound coy, but to properly describe this album when so many people will be thinking of Harris as a member of Iron Maiden is nearly impossible. The best thing to do is to take our word for it, that it rocks, and then check it out for yourself.

Harris has succeeded in reaching outside of his Metal Box and found new and exciting ways to extrapolate his craft.

By Jeb Wright