For a band that have only put out three records in fifteen years, Daniel Lioneye have some impressive brand recognition. I mean the dudes wrote the Viva La Bam theme song for Thor's sake, and as someone who grew up in the same town Bam is from (West Chester, Pennsylvania represent!) , Daniel Lioneye were, in a weird way, the soundtrack to my childhood. So it's interesting to come back all these years later and appreciate all that this band has come to define over the years. Vol. III is a little outside my usual listening but I have to say I kind of love it. It's the sort of mainstream metal that got me hooked when I was 10 or 11 years old. Vol. III builds on the classic Daniel Lioneye sound to create something that is reminiscent of groups like Avenged Sevenfold, or even, perhaps a bit more obviously, Linde Londstrom's other band, HIM. It's a pleasure to listen to this romp through a bunch of modern metal tropes in order to create an album you want to come back to again and again.
I think that one of the things that fascinates me to no end about Vol. III is the beauty of the production. Daniel Lioneye sound absolutely perfect. The arrangements are rich, the compositions exactly where they need to be and the execution, even down to a granular individual level, is stunning. It shows us that these guys are true badasses, musicians who can deliver on an incredibly high level and who leave me fascinated, reveling in the eternal power that rock and roll can have. Again, the band share three members with HIM so don't go in expecting anything particularly revolutionary or paradigm shifting. Rather appreciate Daniel Lioneye for what it is: a really fucking fun rock and roll band who incorporate a healthy dose of heavy metal in order to make their sound high powered and fun. The tracks featured on this album are potent, filled with layers and forcing you to sit down to pick them apart. This is what true compositions can be about.
Vol. III is a blast to listen to. It captures so much of what I love about rock music and makes for some fun laid back listening. The solos are perfectly thought out and exactly what each and every song requires, even if none of them truly stand out. Meanwhile, the riffs are flowing and elegant. They ease into each other and give you a chance to fully lose yourself in some surprisingly entrancing music. I've always had a bit of a thing for music that uses vocal layering and almost nonchalantly has epic layers within the instrumentals, and Daniel Lioneye do exactly that. These songs have groove, but also a strange beauty. They take the magic of rock and roll and distill it into something that seems like it's almost torn between Avenged Sevenfold and Type O Negative. So while nothing here is groundbreaking, Vol. III is a wonderfully entertaining listen. If you like your rock hard hitting and fun you're going to love this.
Score: 7.5/10
