British Lion

Steve Harris divides his time between a frantic touring schedule and writing and recording material for heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, yet he still manages to find the occasional opening for other endeavours. In the early 90s Harris was approached with a cassette by guitarist Graham Leslie. Harris liked the material so much he kept in touch with a few of the guys after their band split. He then ended up writing and recording material for what was initially marketed as a solo project with the remaining slots filled by backing musicians. However, before long the bass meister referred to British Lion as a full-fledged band. Their self-titled debut ‘British Lion’ dropped in 2012. Seventies rock was one of the major inspirations for the album and there’s a bit of The Who, Thin Lizzy and UFO in there so the songs are more mainstream rock-oriented than metal. The release of their sophomore effort was backed up with a US tour. ‘The Burning’ dropped in 2020 to great critical acclaim and number three is currently in the works. Incidentally, there’s now a second member of Maiden in the line-up: Simon Dawson, Nicko McBrain’s replacement in Iron Maiden, mans the kit. #GMM25