Review: ast In Line- Heavy Crown

The metal world may have been rocked by the passing of legendary Dio bassist Jimmy Bain but his memory carries on with the release of the final project he was involved with- Last In Line, which he formed with fellow original Dio members Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice. With Andrew Freeman on vocals, the band not only does their debut- Heavy Crown– do the legacy of Bain justice but it surpasses any and all expectations had for this project and is better than you could ever have hoped for. With these guys coming together for the first time in years to record an album, you can definitely expect there to be some similarities to the classic Dio material but these guys are professionals and they know exactly where to draw the line and keep it fresh and that\’s what they do with Heavy Crown. From the start of opener “Devil In Me,” it’s obvious we’re in for one hell of a ride- pun intended. From the get-go, this album hits hard, rocks the hell out of you and keeps you on your toes. Going in, pretty much everyone knew what Appice, Campbell and Bain could do and we heard it when Dio was still around. The one people may not all be familiar with is Freeman, who takes any doubters and basically knocks them on their ass. This album is his calling card and he’s here to make a statement and that’s exactly what he did on Heavy Crown– you’ll be blown away. There’s a definite throwback vibe to the album and it fits beautifully. Those who know Campbell strictly from his work with Def Leppard and aren’t familiar with his Dio work will be thoroughly impressed as he’s the sole guitarist in Last In Line and he owns the gig like we all knew he would. With Bain no longer with us (Rest In Peace, Jimmy Bain!), we can only hope this isn’t a one-and-done from Last In Line. If they continue to put out albums, they’re gonna be one of the heavy-hitters before too long. There’s not one song of filler on Heavy Crown. Each song stands strong on its own but also flows magically into the next as well. That makes one hell of an album. Rating: 9/10 -Reggie Edwards