In the wake of Ronnie James Dio’s passing came a slew of tribute/spin-off bands. There’s Dio Disciples: The Wendy Dio managed touring outfit that features the last lineup of Dio (Craig Goldy on guitars, Scott Warren on keyboards, Simon Wright on drums) accompanied by Tim “Ripper” Owens on vocals. There’s Resurrection Kings, which sees the aforementioned Goldy united with original Dio drummer Vinny Appice. And then there’s the subject of today’s review, Last in Line. Upon their early 10s formation, Last in Line caught the attention of many headbangers for reuniting the classic 80s Dio lineup of Appice on drums, Claude Schnell on keybaords, Jimmy Bain on bass, and most importantly, Vivian Campbell on guitars.
The irony in this is that Campbell and Dio spent the better part of decades bad mouthing each other in the press leading up to Dio’s passing. Campbell claimed that Dio was hard to work with and not paying him fairly. Dio in turn said that Campbell overstepped his boundaries (The band was called Dio, not Campbell.) and was a “sellout” for joining Def Leppard. As a fan, it’s a shame these two titans who created such amazing music together were never able to resolve their differences. That said, to see Campbell pay tribute to these early days and let loose on the guitar again is the next best thing. Even after the 2015 departure of Schnell and 2016 passing of Bain, Last in Line has soldiered on, honoring the past and marching forward into the future with their third album, Jericho.
Oddly enough, despite forming as a tribute to Dio’s first three albums, personnel aside, Last in Line never really struck me as a continuation of that sound. The fantasy centric lyrics, mesmerizing melodies, and unique atmosphere that made those albums so magical are nowhere to be found. Instead, we get a rather straightforward, modernized spin on classic metal and hard rock, which is all fine and good. It just doesn’t come off as Dio-esque. If Jericho channels any era of Dio’s storied career, it’s his time with Black Sabbath. Cuts like “Ghost Town”, “Bastard Son”, and “Burning Bridges” are dark, foreboding slabs of Sabbathian metal, but with emphasis on melody. If you ever underestimated Campbell’s ability to unleash the “Hand of Doom”, think again.
The rest of Jericho leaves no classic metal/hard rock stone unturned. The opening “Not Today Satan” boasts an energetic swagger reminiscent of Thin Lizzy, which is always welcome in my book. “Hurricane Orlagh” is a fast and aggressive headbanger, “Story of My Life” hits like a no frills, hard rock gut punch, and “Do the Work” channels the rowdy sleaze of 80s glam metal, gang vocal chorus and all. Yet no cut on this affair leaves a greater impression than “Walls of Jericho”, which is ironically the most Dio-esque moment on here. The riffs, vocal melodies, and ferocious delivery aren’t far removed from The Last in Line or Sacred Heart eras, which makes one wonder why the whole album couldn’t have followed in this vein.
By and large, Jericho is yet another straightforward hard and heavy affair from a band of veterans who have been playing this music their entire lives. Its only weaknesses are its nearly hour long runtime, and a handful of radio rock missteps (i.e. “Dark Days”, “Something Wicked”). I’m sure the intention was to craft a skull smasher akin to “Pain” or even Sabbath’s “I”, but instead these songs just feel like tough guy fodder on the heavier side of *gulp* Shinedown. Make yourself a Spotify playlist sans those 2 and maybe a few others, and you’ve got some non-stop 80s metal mania. “Look out!”
6 out of 10
Label: earMUSIC
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Dio, Saxon