Last In Line - Jericho (2023) CD-Rip

Frontman Andrew Freeman, bassist Phil Soussan (ex-Ozzy Osbourne), and former Dio comrades-in-arms Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) and Vinny Appice (ex-Black Sabbath) release their third album as Last In Line, Jericho. What was started by original Dio members Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice as a tribute to their own legacy quickly developed its own momentum. Teaming up with esteemed bassist Phil Soussan and one of the best rock voices of the era, Andrew Freeman, Last In Line was born.

It would be easy to call Last In Line a supergroup when all its members have and had careers in the most influential bands of the genre from Dio, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne, to Billy Idol and Def Leppard. But so much more than a mere side project away from their main work, Last In Line has proven itself time and again, and has been successful on their own merit since day one. Two remarkable studio albums were released in 2016 and 2019 along with the limited vinyl EP A Day In The Life in 2022. Now, in 2023, Last In Line continue to be on top of their game. On Jericho, Appice and Soussan hold it together, Campbell is back to his best guitar wielding flamboyance, and Freeman is just a natural with the vocals. The 12 tracks are full of energy and boast big guitar riffs and catchy solos, clearly a contender for the hard rock record of the year.

With limited face to face time in the studio due to the pandemic the band managed to write and record songs while still maintaining the integrity of their writing process explains Vivian Campbell: “With Last In Line, just as we did with Dio, we cut the basic tracks live. It's important for us to capture the energy of the syncopation of playing together in real time much like the energy of a live show This record represents the best of both worlds: the spirit of an energetic band performance, and the more reflective and nuanced qualities of our individual performances, too.”