Since Survivor is essentially on the back burner, Pride Of Lions has become the ultimate playground for Jim Peterik’s brilliant, stadium-sized ideas.
The band has just unleashed their eighth studio album, “Unbridled”, and it proves that the core duo of Jim Peterik and vocal maestro Toby Hitchcock hasn’t lost its magic. Flanked by a tight, longtime backing band of seasoned pros, they continue to fly the flag for classic rock. And let’s talk about the songs… they are really good!
The title track, “Unbridled”, hits you right out of the gate with a killer two-hand tapping solo that just rocks. Then you get “1000 Long Goodbyes”, a driving, vintage-sounding track packed with melody, followed by the high-energy rocker “A Mighty Noise”. They even throw in “Ride the Lightning” — and before you ask, no, it’s not a Metallica cover — which brings a massive sense of drama to the record. Classic AOR purists will also fall in love with the high-stakes theater of “Don’t Waste a Wish on Me” and the hook-heavy splendor of “I Can See in the Dark”.
If there’s any critique to be made, it’s that the vocal scales tip slightly the wrong way this time. In the past, Hitchcock was the undisputed main voice, but here, Peterik takes the mic a bit too often. Jim is a decent singer, but Toby Hitchcock has that untouchable, majestic range. The album is still a good piece of melodic AOR, but if they had reversed that balance, these tracks would have sounded absolutely colossal IMNSHO.
by Rockavlon 6/10
I guess this is their weakest album in every respect. The songwriting is simple and the melodies are plain. But the main reason is that Jim has decided to sing in almost every song (apart from “Ride the Lightning”) and relegate Toby to the background! It’s criminal (pun intended) to have such a great voice like Toby’s and relegate it to a secondary role. I think this album would have been better if Toby had sung in every song.
Moreover, there is not a single standout song here. Jim has another project called World Stage, in which he sings and plays the guitar. He should not have turned POF into another self-centred project. He was never much of a singer, as he has known since his Survivor days, so why does he think he can sing well now he’s 75?! We need Toby to take on the lead vocal role as he did in the past.
by Thanos 5/10
