Album Review: Born Lion - Final Words

Describing themselves as a “rock’n’roll tour de force”, Born Lion are asking for heavy scrutiny with the release of their debut, Final Words. And Break The Curse is a slightly troubling opening statement, with some terrible faux rap as an intro.

Once Born Lion embrace the pure rock, however, it immediately picks up. Relentless and driving, it’s the kind of thing custom-built to get a live crowd on side and chanting.

The thumping bass line of Good Dogs Play Dead introduces a more immediate energy that leads to a heavier sound in general. While D For Danger is more evidence that they’re at their best when at their loudest, something that’s only consolidated when they put down the drumsticks and electric guitars for the totally inessential acoustic faux-angst of Violent Soul. Good Times Jimmy and None Of The Above are great examples of taking the simplicity and aggression of punk rock, tweaking things with just enough weirdness to make sure that you can never rest easy, not quite knowing what to expect next.

The riffs are a never-ending assault. The rhythm section supplies the unstoppable onslaught of a rampaging beast — and all of that while never coming at the expense of melody or hooks. It’s a difficult enough feat for any band to attempt. For Born Lion to stick the landing so solidly on their debut album, Final Words is all the more impressive. Let’s just hope next time they keep the pedal flat to the floor from beginning to end.