Emotional Coma: Special Edition [Limited Edition]

It's been a long time, been a long time since we heard anything from Lion's Share. over six years in fact, but head honcho Lars Chriss has managed to drag himself away from the nekkid girls sauna and branch lashing long enough for the Swedish melodic power metallers to dust dwon their riffs, bring in Astral Doors vocalist Patrik Johannson and unleash a belated fifth album.

And it's good, if not good enough to be great. There's no doubt that 'The Arsonist' (shoosh at the back), 'The Edge Of The Razor' and a cover of the Angel Witch tune 'Sorcerers' are neck crackingly enjoyable. It's just that they seem to be lacking that vital piece of indefinable personality that lifts up a band up into the Premiership.

The aforementioned 'The Edge Of The Razor' features ex Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and the title track sees Megadeth drone Glen Drover popping in for a visit but I don't really see it reachin gout to anyone bar the faithful.

There were three reasons that drew me to the latest offering from Lion's Share; firstly, I was familiar with the name Patrik Johansson who coincidently is the singer with Wuthering Heights, a band that I am an avid fan of especially since he joined their ranks two albums back. Secondly, the dark ominous artwork had a bizarre appeal that looked too interesting to pass me by, and thirdly, the promotional sticker on the disk stated the band drew likeness to Megadeth, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Accept. In addition, there were also guest performances from ex-Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and current Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover. The driving force behind the band is Lars Chriss and `Emotional Coma' is a welcomed comeback for the band after a six-year absence. There has been a number of line up changes during the bands existence as well as a drastic shift between genres.

Previously, they played a brand of melodic progressive metal utilising keyboards rather extensively. With `Emotional Coma' the sound has been totally refurbished as the band has a new found passion, playing a mix of melodic heavy metal combined with the technical aspects of power metal. The music and lyrics have murky undertones delving into the dark valleys of the human mind and mankind in general. I haven't had much exposure to Chriss' guitar playing, other than an earlier released album I have in my collection, but one thing is for certain, he exudes raw talent by playing some inspiring solos, along with creating memorable riffs. Johansson possesses a very unique and powerful voice, concentrating in the mid to upper vocal range, adding a lot of variation to his vocals with each song. I do however like the bass work of Sampo Axelsson, with his instrument having a very audible level that can be clearly heard throughout the recording and is not just rumbling along in the background, which is so often the case with some bands.

Drummer Richard Evensand, who is not a permanent member of the band, adds a great drum sound and is a technical and proficient drummer. Each track on this album has a different personality of its own and the album does not get repetitive or boring in any way. The standout tracks are the opener `Cult of Denial', which starts with a mellow guitar piece before an awesome riff encapsulates the song. Johansson lowers his voice using a darker tone and the combination of female backing vocals adds something special to the song. `The Arsonist' starts of at a pummelling rate and stays at this tempo throughout the song. `Emotional Coma' is a favourite track and starts off with a Candlemass sounding guitar intro, before Johansson's devilish vocals kick in and at the chorus break the song slows down slightly. The highlight on this track is the solo that Glen Drover (Megadeth) delivers, which brims over with emotion.

The most commercially accessible track is `The edge of the Razor' with a mellow intro and the chorus is huge thanks to the help of the backing vocals as well as Bruce Kulick adding some nice guitar pieces towards the end. `Soultaker' starts with a blinding riff that builds up and is a strong as the power of the bass and drums play along flawlessly with Johansson's kerosene vocals sounding immense. The remainder of the tracks are all brilliant, but track 11 there is a nice cover version of Angel Witch's song `Sorcerers', and without doubt they have done justice to the Kevin Heybourne penned classic from 1980. I am pleased that Lion's Share has paid reverence to Angel Witch, who in my opinion were one of the most criminally underrated and overlooked British bands of that era. I have enjoyed the latest offering from Lion's Share immensely, finding them to be a rather refreshing band that have injected a breath of fresh air into the stagnant metal market as of late. I would encourage metal fans to grab themselves a copy, as Lion's Share are a band with a very bright future ahead of them. In addition, also check out Johansson's other band Wuthering Heights as this showcases what an exceptional vocalist he is.