Ever since the 1970s, Stephen Percy Harris has resolutely steered rock legends Iron Maiden through supreme highs and character-testing lows. Having sold 85 million records with the aforementioned Irons, despite little to no mainstream coverage (an achievement which, somewhat bafflingly, is still largely ignored in the Londoner’s homeland), the bassist is pretty much the most indomitable man in metal. Indeed, having penned over a hundred songs with the band, he’s also one of the chief architects in the creation of one of the world’s most enduring genres too.
Interestingly, ‘Arry had always stated he would never make a record outside of Maiden, so the release of the bassist’s first solo effort, British Lion, has taken many people by surprise.
The music itself, needless to say, will provoke a similar reaction because British Lion is by no means a metal record. Indeed, apart from his iconic bass sound, there is little or no association between his day job and this side project. Instead, we see the musician re-embrace his rock roots: the music is infused with influences from the likes of the Who (‘The Chosen Ones’) and Rainbow (‘A World Without Heaven’) in particular.
That said, British Lion is far from a mere walk down memory lane: there’s a Soundgarden/Stone Temple Pilots-esque grunge-iness to ‘This Is My God’, while the sublime ‘Karma Killer’ calls to mind Queens Of The Stone Age at their most grandiose and features an ace wah wah-laden riff wrapped around a swirling chorus delivered by singer Richard Taylor. The ‘80s-tastic arena rock fest of ‘Eyes Of The Young’ might be a little too commercial for some listeners, but personally this reviewer applauds Harris for taking chances and ripping up the rule book. In fact, I’m already looking forward to the mooted second album.