Well, here we are... For all the FM rock/AOR maniacs, this is the latest effort from ex-Survivor member Jim Peterik. This is the second Pride Of Lions album, the follow-up to the band's same titled debut (2003), and surely has all the fonts to be placed among top releases of this specific genre for year 2004. Yeah, you bet Frontiers just put out another remarkable release, proving so elegantly the sensation of its roaster... Who are we to disbelieve?
The band was formed in 2003 by guitarist Jim Peterik, whose contribution to the success and recognition Survivor gained during the 80s is just colossal. Jim "discovered a 26-year-old striving man named Toby Hitchcock - a singer with no previous professional experience, as far as I'm concerned - and recorded the band's debut album in his own World Stage Studios (Chicago, IL) with the contribution of session artists like Mike Aquino on guitar, Christian Cullen on keyboards, Clem Hayes on bass with Ed Breckenfeld and Hilary Jones on the drums. Pride Of Lions also issued a CD single in early 2004 named "Black Ribbons (Voices In The World) for the victims of the bomb attacks in Madrid, Spain.
So, what about music? Well, it's been really a long time since I last heard of an album production that drove me back to the mid-80s glory AOR days. And I mean the production, not only the songs or the general "feeling of some release. Obviously, Jim Peterik is not the man to doubt for. Even better than their debut, "The Destiny Stone features a dozen of songs that none of them can be judged as an "average or "middle-class recording. Sharp-riffing in "Parallel Lines, beautifully sentimental on "Light From A Distant Shore or groovy-running in What Kind Of Fool, "The Destiny Stone really stands tall in today's standards with its maturity, its hidden power and its definite reference to the splendid releases of Survivor, albums like Vital Signs or When Seconds Count (no...no "Eye Of The Tiger...)
Toby Hitchcock's performance is actually very good, "strong and colorful. The singer seems that confident of how to manipulate his voice, in a way that "traps the listener to the rhythm, not thinking desperately "shit, who does his voice reminds me of?. A "blushing future is undoubtly in front of him and the lesson next to Jim Peterik will surely be so helpful. On the other side, the whole band's performance (Jim Peterik placed by the same session roaster like in "Pride Of Lions, with the addition of Thom Griffin on drums) is in the expected standards. Great riff work, steady rhythm section, beautiful keyboards and "touching piano parts, all "under this remarkably "style-classic production by Jim. In their faster parts the band reminded me (apart from Survivor) the style of  80s heroes like Drive, She Said, Honeymoon Suite or Loverboy, while some more serene moments brought in my minds melodic acts like Air Supply, Reo Spreedwagon or Styx. To today's standards, Ten would have likely sounded in the same "vein if they existed 20 years ago, I might say...
That's it! Surely capable of writing marvelous musical themes, it seems that Jim Peterik found the suitable singer to demonstrate his today's wants. So?... So, if you're into first-class melodic rock and the "aura of Survivor is still in your music air, Pride Of Lions has a great present for you. Take the chance, c'mon!!!