By the mighty Gawds ov Metal, this album cover of Lion’s Share‘s Inferno here is simply atrociously bad. This blue pseudo-alien looking like a deranged shrimp1 feels so cliché that the prospect of what kind of music might be found inside this blurb here makes me shudder. And not in a good way.
That Lion’s Share already appeared on this zine in 2017 speaks for them, though. This was for a then-brand-new clip for their single, Another Desire. We reckon it will be the same track with this moniker on Inferno‘s Heavy Metal list. That’s impossible to check, though, as someone set the old video to private. And – strangely – many preexisting recordings on any and all channels disappeared. And that fills us with even more ominous foreboding. ‘Nuff bitching, though. Just let ‘er roar and find out what dire straits beckon us.
The Swedish act Lion’s Share saw the daylight for the first time in 1987, some 39 years ago. Their last record, Dark Hours, aired in 2009. Yup, you heard that right, a whopping 17 years ago. Meaning, this would be another band with RMR n00b potential2 if only their contribution to Heavy Metal had been constant over time. To their credit, the band created a series of pretty sturdy records ending in the aforementioned Year of the Lord 2009. And since then, the band continued to produce a felt gazillion singles, starting in 2017. Yep, you heard that right. They fell off a cliff for about 8 years before something new even reemerged from that lonely corner of the metalverse again.
So, meet Inferno. And here’s the kicker. The record sold as a new, original full-length record that – and I quote – “…never sounded tighter…” is nothing else than a simple compilation. All tracks on this piece were released as singles between 2017 and 2024.3 There’s not a shred of original material in this piece. You only get old tropes reinvented, repackaged, and presented as new. And let me be clear, compilations are nothing new, nor are they wrong in any way. And besides, the band can do with their music whatever the fuck they want. But applying the ‘old wine in new bottles’ concept just annoys us to hell and back.
That said, the Heavy Metal Inferno dispenses is indeed dense as hell and powerfully served. You can actually hear the tunnels of time roaring back at you. And that straight from the ’80s when metal was still young and exciting. The 9-piece tracklist is full of typical fast-paced riffing, neatly composed solos, and drums that will egg this roadshow on as it should. Nils Patrik Johansson‘s high-pitched, tightly cinched vocals just sound right in the context of this gaggle of pre-’00 sounding tracks. And browsing through their tracklists available on the mighty interweb, the RMR crew found a few Dio tributes. In this light, they’re exonerated from any copycat accusations. Even if they drive a hard bargain, when tracks such as We Will Rock suspiciously sound like Dio’s We Rock from the 1984 piece The Last in Line.
But apart from the ever-present Dio, the influences are still legion. Saxon, Hibria, Dio-era Rainbow, Primal Fear, and stuff the maidens did, to name just a few. Meaning, this record surely does not hide its origins. Nor should it in any way. After all, Inferno presents you with one of the sturdiest representations of all those wild, oldish delights that early metal set our turntables on fire with back in time.
Ultimately, Lion’s Share presented this crew with a nice kettle of fish. Whilst Inferno is just repackaged goods, plain and simple, the way they slam their Heavy Metal onto our modern music machines is just too much fun to ignore. This is a band with a tight grip on the genre. Their metal takes no prisoners, and it is – indeed – an almost picture-perfect description of how Heavy Metal ought to sound like. The record positively gorges with juicy hooks that this crew was unable to resist. And they – for sure – will sound like a friggin’ thunderclap on stage. So, hear us, ô valiant folk of Lion’s Share. Yer sins shall be forgiven by the mighty RMR Supreme Council, for yer metal truly shines in the comforting ancient glow of heavy music.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Metalville Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 27 March 2026
- And our apologies to the shrimps of this world for the insult. -Ed.-↩
- Long-standing bands not covered by RMR to date. But with a trve influence on the genre they cover. -Ed.-↩
- Track release years: Pentagram – 2019, We Are What We Are – 2019, We Will Rock – 2024, The Lion’s Trial – 2017, Baptized in Blood – 2021, Live Forever – 2024, Chain Child – 2019, Another Desire – 2017, Run For Your Life – 2022.-↩