Last In Line: Jericho

We all know the story by now, the core of the classic era of Dio line-up coming back together after their band leader’s tragic demise to relive the music that they created across his and their first three albums. From there, as happens, life and death have taken over to evolve the Last In Line membership to Vivian Campbell on guitars, Vinny Appice on drums, ex-Ozzy man Phil Soussan on bass and ex-Lynch Mob singer Andrew Freeman on vocals. The outfit’s first two studio offerings stayed pretty neatly within what their long-term fans would have expected, with riff heavy, guitar solo infused heavy metal that could easily have fitted onto Holy Diver or Last In Line (natch!) hammered out with a real authority. If things ain’t broke, then why fix it? And yet, with Freeman possessing a more obviously bluesy side to his voice than the great RJD ever professed to, things aren’t quite that simple and Jericho is all the better for it. After all, competing with songs held up as some of the best heavy metal has ever had to offer is only going to end one way, so to hear Freeman twist the still heavy and lumbering wallop of “Dark Days� into something just a little out of the ordinary is a real joy. As is experiencing current Def Leppard guitarist Campbell letting loose on the fretboard in the way we always knew he could, even if his main gig these days doesn’t call for much of those talents.

“Not Today Satan� is actually the track that brings the whole shebang to life, its insistent beat and grating guitars an uncompromising introduction, but here again Freeman offers an attack that brings a real light and shade. It is, however, the riff that’s completely and utterly in control on “Walls Of Jericho�, Campbell matched every step of the way by a veteran rhythm section that’s seen and done it all and still sounds hungry (for heaven!) every time they start their engines. There’s a slight Dokken like edge to the admittedly heavier results of “Something Wicked�, making it a bit of an outlier here, but a good one nonetheless, whereas the two tracks either side of it, “We Don’t Run� and “House Party At The End of The World� head us right back into the classic Dio sound that brought us all here in the first place.

A band who originally came into being to pay respects to a fallen comrade and the music they created together has grown into a seriously impactful outfit in their own right. With Jericho, Last In Line are still acknowledging their past, but the future, as it should be, is really where they’ve got their eyes fixed.

Track Listing
1. Not Today Satan

2. Ghost Town

3. Bastard Son

4. Dark Days

5. Burning Bridges

6. Do The Work

7. Hurricane Orlagh

8. Walls Of Jericho

9. Story Of My Life

10. We Don't Run

11. Something Wicked

12 House Party At The End Of The World

Added: March 31st 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Last In Line Official
Hits: 1666
Language: english

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