Formed in the late 1980s, Swedish heavy metal band Lion’s Share are continuing to reap the rewards of a long-term career, not only scoring over a million streaming listens for one new song, but also reissuing key albums from their back catalogue, with tour dates planned.
Never before available on vinyl, their 2009 album Dark Hours has been reissued by Metalville, with a new lyric video for the track ‘Phantom Rider’ also out.
One of the landmark releases of their career, on its original release Dark Hours was hailed as one of the strongest traditional heavy metal albums of the year. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the Swedish Metal Awards and earned strong reviews around the world.
The album features vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson, founding guitarist Lars Chriss, bassist and keyboard player Sampo Axelsson (formerly of the Glenn Hughes Band) and Conny Pettersson on drums, along with a guest guitar solo from Symphony X’s Michael Romeo. It was mixed, mastered and produced by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy) at Fascination Street Studios.
Lyrically, Dark Hours explores some of the darkest chapters of the late 1960s. Rather than celebrating the optimism of the decade, the album draws inspiration from historical events and controversial figures including the Vietnam War, Charles Manson, Martin Luther King Jr., Che Guevara, the Prague Spring and the moon landing conspiracy theories, offering a powerful thematic thread throughout the album.
Tracks featured are: ‘Judas Must Die’, ‘Phantom Rider’, ‘Demon In Your Mind’, ‘Heavy Cross To Bear’, ‘The Bottomless Pit’, ‘Full Metal Jacket’, ‘The Presidio 27’, ‘Barker Ranch’, ‘Napalm Nights’, ‘Space Scam’ and ‘Behind The Curtain’.
