On Friday February 19th, Frontiers Music SRL will release one of the most highly anticipated Hard Rock releases of 2016: the debut album from Last In Line, Heavy Crown.
Formed by three original members of Dio including Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell (guitar) Vinny Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass) and named after Dio’s 1984 studio album The Last In Line, the new band are on a mission to bring classic Hard Rock to fans who can’t get enough of the real thing. The album will be released on CD, CD/DVD (including a bonus track) and Digital formats. Pre-orders can be made here
First single, Devil In Me was premiered on Planet Rock (UK) and SiriusXM (U.S.) on Eddie’s show on November 16th and today, November 17th, the official music video for the track is now available for viewing below.
Says guitarist Vivian Campbell, “When we started this project a few years ago, the initial idea was to reunite the original Dio band to play the songs we wrote and recorded with Ronnie in the early 1980’s. Joined by Andrew Freeman on vocals, we played a handful of shows in southern California, the UK, and Japan. It was a limited ambition, but it brought us great joy in reconnecting to this great music, to each other, and to our collective history.”
The new songs featured on the debut Last In Line album are all co-written by the four band members.
“When we first got together as the Last In Line line-up, our ambition at that time didn’t extend to writing and recording any new music, says Campbell, “but when we were offered the opportunity to do so by Frontiers, we decided to enter the studio to write this new album in the very same spirit as we did the Holy Diver album; Back in 1982 Ronnie, Vinny, Jimmy and I went into Sound City studios to kick around ideas and riffs, and about six weeks later we started laying down the tracks for what was to become the Holy Diver album.”
The new material was written after the band toured the classic Dio songs. During the tour, when the band started really connecting with each other musically, that’s when they decided the time was right to start writing new material for what was to become the Last In Line debut album.
Vivian Campbell will also be putting time aside to go on tour with Last In Line when not touring with Def Leppard. Expect 2016 tour dates and festival appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
Last In Line keyboardist Claude Schnell recently left the band.
Heavy Crown track listing:
1. Devil In Me
2. Martyr
3. Starmaker
4. Burn This House Down
5. I Am Revolution
6. Blame It On Me
7. In Flames (Bonus Track Deluxe Edition)
8. Already Dead
9. Curse The Day
10. Orange Glow
11. Heavy Crown
12. The Sickness
DVD track listing:
1. Devil In Me (Videoclip)
2. Starmaker (Videoclip)
3. Making of Heavy Crown
source: classicrock.teamrock.com
20 Responses
Awesome nice and heavy stuff.
That is very good. Those are all talented guys for certain. Kind of Soundgarden meets Whitesnake meets AC/DC. I will download some songs from this album.
Rich…Michael, don’t download some songs, help keep this music alive and BUY the album! This downloading sh-t is why people like Gene Simmons keep saying that “rock is dead,” (meaning the business of course.) I know I’ll be buying it for sure! Sounds really good, I’m sure RJD is very proud of LAST IN LINE.
This one may not make it to BEST BUY, but if it does sure. You know both the bassist and lead guitarist are both Irish. In the winter I’m a treadmill kind of guy so the IPOD keeps me going for certain. I listen to CDs during long commutes which I rarely ever do this time of year. Anyway, I recently discovered QUIET RIOTS version of HIGHWAY TO HELL which is great as well as Dio himself singing DREAM ON with Malmsteen on guitar a few years back (Trunk himself referenced this in his heavy metal bible). You can still represent and download. You can find SHOK PARIS and ROSE TATOO on ITUNES but sadly the record stores selling the cassette single of ANIMAL (**** LIKE A BEAST) and JUMP IN THE FIRE are 30 years gone. I got the cassette single of ANIMAL in Atlantic City in 1985, SHOW NO MERCY was side 2. My point is Blackie found God (good for him) and doesn’t do anything like a beast and Atlantic City is more depressing than FADE TO BLACK.
Michael, it just depends on where in Atlantic City you go! There are some parts of Atlantic City, just like any other big city, that are depressing, but most areas on and around the boardwalk are alive & well! My 2 favorite spots, The Borgata, and Tropicana. (Just don’t wander too far in the wrong direction from the Borgata.) Yeah unfortunately I know the times we’re living in, well, kind of suck! For me, technology peaked with CD’s! Love vinyl, and CD’s, but this digital sh-t? Remember that song, “Video Killed The Radio Star?” Well in today’s world it’s more like, “Downloading Killed The Radio Star!” 😉
They actually have a song called something like that. I loved CDs as well, my first one was APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION. I had good times in HARRAHS and THE BORGATA as well but I’m an ex-smoker and I find the best stuff at THE BORGATA is in the smoking sections. Just driving into A.C. used to be awesome but now signs are falling off casinos and football players are punching girlfriends and wives are yelling at guys in dirty sweatshirts and the once fine women have bad skin and hacking coughs and the waitresses look like the guys in TESTEMENT. Ilike TESTEMENT but not serving me drinks. Depressing but hey this band sounds pretty good and that’s cool. See you later Doug. Always a pleasure.
I agree, Atlantic City isn’t the same, and that’s a shame. Out of all the casinos that have unfortunately closed down, I miss the Showboat the most. I had ALOT of good times there, great times, really sucks that they had to close down. Thank God The Borgata & Tropicana are still open, and hopefully stay that way.
It’s unlikely that Best Buy will carry it.
But, it’ll be available on Amazon. Or maybe at an independent record store.
I wish def lep would let him cut loose like that more often!
I’ll give this a solid ‘like’. It’s got a definite groove going on.
Nothing against Phil Collin and the Def Leppard sound… but it’s so great hearing Vivian back in a heavy environment again. Such a unique and gifted player.