Do Last In Line emerge from the shadow of Dio on their second album?

Ex Dio-ites Last In Line find their own style on II

By Malcolm Dome
( Classic Rock )
published
Last In Line - II

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Last In Line - II

Last In Line - II

1. Intro
2. Black Out The Sun
3. Landslide
4. Gods And Tyrants
5. Year Of The Gun
6. Give Up The Ghost
7. The Unknown
8. Sword From The Stone
9. Electrified
10. Love And War
11. False Flag
12. The Light

When Last In Line started in 2012, it was put together by original Dio members to play songs from that band’s early albums. 

By 2016’s Heavy Crown, LIN were doing their own material. But with II, they’ve truly got their range and momentum. 

Led by guitarist Vivian Campbell, Last In Line deliver songs which have British hard rock grit and an American sophistication. 

Drawing comparisons with ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith and Saxon, the performances shine through on multi-faceted tracks such as Year Of The Gun, The Light and Give Up The Ghost. 

Vocalist Andrew Freeman proves himself to have passion and command, and new bassist Phil Soussan gives the music rhythmic flexibility. Overall, II showcases a band thrusting forward.

Malcolm Dome
Malcolm Dome

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.