STEEL SEAL- The Lion’s Den (2017)

“The Lion’s Den” is the third album from STEEL SEAL, a band new to me and whose name makes you think about heavy metal. Indeed there’s metal in it, but the good, old-fashioned classic melodic metal blended with equal doses of groovy hard rock. And you have Fabiou Lione at the mic, guarantee of great vocals throughout.

Backed by a wildly talented keyboardist (Adriano Rossi) and a fantastic vocalist (Fabio Lione) who sings like the second coming of Glenn Hughes, this band is off to a strong start in the classic metal tournament for your attention.
Songs like “Never Die,” “Master of Hell,” and “Open Fire” really showcase Steel Seal’s ability to make familiar musical notions exciting again by stretching combined talents into better forms of servicing the song.

There are flashes of utter brilliance on this album as evidenced by the track “Fate (Knocking At Your Door)” a rousing number kicked into high gear with super percussion and machine gun vocals that still retain their tonal clarity.
The former, “Break Your Chains” and “A Dream Within a Dream” have a nice Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow vibe about them. Lots of great vocal melodies and some stunning guitar playing (much like the rest of the album).

The final track “Wake or Sleep” is another highlight, a classy mid-tempo piece that has such gravity you are surprised it is the final song to the album instead of the end of the first half of a double album.

“The Lion’s Den” is a very complete collection of classic melodic metal / hard rock songs rich in melody and composition.
Do not be fooled by the the band’s name of the album’s artwork. This is classic stuff, ranging from Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and Deep Purple to 1985 Yngwie or Axel Rudi Pell.

As said production is top notch with the proper EQ and mix for this type of genre, there’s stellar vocals, wonderful keys and super guitars.
With “The Lion’s Den”, Steel Seal has released the album that Yngwie Malmsteen or Rainbow owe us since two decades.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – Never Die
02 – Master of Hell
03 – Open Fire
04 – Break Your Chains
05 – Fate (Knocking at Your Door)
06 – Lonely
07 – A Dream Within a Dream
08 – In for the Kill
09 – Waiting For the Rain
10 – Wake or Sleep

Marco Valerio Zangani (guitars)
Luca Iovieno (drums)
Roberto Fasciani (bass)
Adriano Rossi (keyboards)
Fabio Lione (vocals)
guests:
Andrea De Paoli: keyboards intros on 3, 9
Lorenzo Milone: guitar solos on 3, 4, 7, 9, 10

BUY IT !
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