Lionheart: The Grace of a Dragonfly

Lionheart is a British band consisting of Lee Small (The Sweet, ex-Shy), Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden), Steve Mann (MSG, ex-Liar), Rocky Newton (Grand Slam, ex-MSG), and Clive Edwards (ex-Pat Travers, Uli Jon Roth & Wild Horses). The Grace of a Dragonfly is their 5th studio across an on-again-off-again discography that spans back to 1984.

The Grace of a Dragonfly is a concept album of sorts, centering around WW2. It manages to be anti-war whilst respectful of those who fought for freedom, which is a nice angle to take.

The music on this album is high caliber. Soaring vocals, anthemic chorus’, top-shelf lead guitar work, and atmospheric synth lines. I can’t undersell the polish and skill on every line, which isn’t necessarily surprising when you consider the pedigree of the names involved.

I’m not an overly devoted fan of melodic metal as a general rule, because there can be a lot of rehashing of similar tropes and cliches. Whilst this album isn’t pioneering anything new, the execution is very strong. There is also an energy to the album, especially the first half, that is at odds with age of the veteran members too. It's not an overly heavy album; I get vibes of late-era Edguy, mixed with Classic AOR, but it’s a hard-rocking release that brings a smile to my face. I’m finding more enjoyment in this release than I typically would in an album of this style.

I really enjoy this album, but have two relatively minor critiques. Firstly, whilst the album is a concept album the songs themselves don’t necessarily fit in with the lyrical themes. If the lyrics were the typical AOR/80’s melodic metal themes of young love and good times, it wouldn’t make much difference to me, and potentially would suit the arrangements just as well. The second critique is that the 2nd half of the album seems to lose steam and get stuck in a mind-paced ballady rut. As I said, these are relatively minor criticisms, as songs like "Declaration", "Flight 19" and "V is for Victory" are good enough to carry the whole release on their shoulders.

One of the best aspects of reviewing albums for a webzine like Sea of Tranquillity is being allocated a range of albums to review without too much say in what you get assigned. It can be a double-edged sword, but more often than not it gives me an opportunity to discover some really great music that wasn’t on my radar. The Grace of a Dragonfly by British band Lionheart is a great example of this - a really good melodic metal release.

Tracklisting:
1. Declaration
2. Flight 19
3. V Is For Victory
4. This Is A Woman's War
5. The Longest Night
6. The Eagle's Nest
7. Little Ships
8. Just A Man
9. UXB
10. The Grace Of A Dragonfly
11. Remembrance, Praying For World Peace

Added: February 26th 2024
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 838
Language: english

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