The Burning

The Burning is the second album by Iron Maiden's bass guitarist Steve Harris's British Lion project. It was released on 17 January 2020 and was produced by Harris. It was the first album under the British Lion moniker, transforming the project from solo to band. The album was preceded by the singles "Spit Fire" on 26 October 2018, "Lightning" on 31 October 2019 and the title track "The Burning" on 13 December 2019. Following the release of The Burning, critics published reviews on their thoughts of the album. Metal Planet Music voiced that "the first thing that strikes you is the music, great hard rock with melody and class, but it’s the heart and emotion that will stay with you long after the last note rings out. Coming eight years after their debut, ‘The Burning’ is the second album by British Lion and the Steve Harris led quintet have made a record that is at once modern, nostalgic and timeless". Critical reception Kerrang! mainly spoke upon the vocals of the album stating that "the band's debut was rather a baptism of fire for singer Richard Taylor, who had to weather some predictable yet redundant criticisms comparing him to Bruce Dickinson from Steve’s “other” band. He sings like he has a point to prove throughout The Burning. A telling sign of the frontman's burgeoning confidence comes on "Elysium" – a song that boasts a killer chorus but an even better final passage, as he belts out a series of absolutely massive sustained notes over a swelling choral section. Equally impressive is his ability to extract emotion from a song. Whether he's communing with lost souls on "Lightning" or offering a consolatory ear on closer "Native Son", he often brings a moving sense of fragility to the fore. Clearly, this particular lion has more at its disposal than claws alone"