Pride of Lions
The Roaring Of Dreams

Pride Of Lions - The Roaring Of Dreams (Frontiers Records 2007, AOR/Rock)

Jim Peterik, current leader of Pride Of Lions (vocals, lead guitar, and sole author of lyrics and music), is an institution when it comes to rock with stars and stripes. He founded Ides Of March at the age of just 15, and in 1978 he kicked off the Survivor adventure; a band that cannot be unknown to those who love AOR and melodic rock in general. He has written several songs for soundtracks of famous movies, and his name is particularly linked to the third and fourth chapters of Rocky Balboa. The Pride Of Lions project was born in 2004 and immediately garnered great acclaim from nostalgic fans of '80s melodic rock, revived and updated thanks to a modern production in sound.

In 2007, at the age of 57, Jim Peterik almost achieves absolute masterpiece status with his new creation characterized by the use of two male voices: Jim Peterik and, above all, the tremendously powerful vocal prowess of Toby Hitchcock, who is truly overwhelming throughout the album. The work maintains dizzying levels throughout its length, but there are chapters that deserve particular attention. Good guitar work for the start of the fast-paced "Book Of Life," which captivates us with vibrant tempos that weave a duet enriched by prominent keyboards and riffs that add power to the song, whose peak is reached in the break with a tempo change and a magnificent insertion of backing vocals before the concluding crescendo. Faced with tracks of total melodic impact like "Language Of The Heart," whose extraordinary chorus manages to get inside our heads from the very first distracted listen, one can only turn up the volume, grab the booklet, and sing the lyrics with all the breath one has in their body. In "Faithful Heart," singer Toby Hitchcock offers his best in a pompous ballad where vocal range, power, and tone are highlighted thanks to a crescendo written ad hoc by Peternik. A baroque and wonderful song to listen to with your partner. It is followed in succession by the party rock of "Defying Gravity," with the lead six-string as the protagonist both in the initial phase and in the (particularly long) solo phase. The verses soar by at fast tempos and flow seamlessly into a complex chorus particularly suited for live performance. A ballad with a great atmosphere for "Astonish You"; lighter and more intimate in sounds (keyboards and guitar) compared to Faithful Heart and hypnotic in its slow progression that note by note delicately enters our minds. An album of such beauty could only conclude with a great duet between the Hitchcock spouses for a memorable piece: an inexorable, pompous, and grand crescendo with exaggerated melodic lines that support the two voices while piano and guitar weave solos that are honey for our ears in the fading conclusion.

Don't know AOR? Grab this jewel with your eyes closed!!! Know AOR? Then you will have already purchased it. An album that borders on perfection in how it's sung, played, and written. The Roaring Of Dreams in my opinion buries the previous two chapters of Pride Of Lions, which were nonetheless more than worthy.

TRACKLIST: 

1. Heaven On Earth
2. Book Of Life
3. Love's Eternal Flame
4. Language Of The Heart
5. Let Me Let You Go
6. Faithful Heart
7. Defying Gravity
8. The Roaring Of Dreams
9. Secret Of The Way
10. Astonish You
11. Tall Ships
12. Turnaround