I just know I love it!

Lion Twin is a German melodic rock/metal duo, established in the early Summer of 2011 by Jan Koemmet (guitar) and Liane Vollmer-Sturm (vocals). The Lion Twin style is unashamedly 80s in its approach. The songs are built on an Accept like framework yet containing huge AOR structured melodies and hooks and the occasional nod in both a classical and folk direction.

Li's vocals are clean and bereft of accent, not the operatic or gothic influenced vocals utilised by many female singers at the moment, whilst some of the riffs come straight from the Dokken musical playbook. The Accept comparison is compounded by Udo Dirkscheider's unmistakable involvement during 'Days Of Anger', a heads down romp dealing with the unsettled political climate in Egypt. Another great track is 'When The Lights Go On' which could have come from a number of 80s AOR albums. The melodies build on an intelligent use of keyboards and the song features a great hook, instrumental bridge and guitar solo. In fact just when you think many of the songs are about to nail down a typical metal chorus they take a distinct AOR turn, 'Tristan and Isolde' being another perfect example.

Various political, religious and environmental issues are dealt with throughout and the lyrics convey just how passionate Jan and Li are about the subject matter. Only a couple of tracks near the close of the album (namely 'Occupy' and 'Notung') fail to impact as a whole but they still contain a number of merits amongst a strong set of songs. They contain some great vocals and the performances of the rest of the band cannot be faulted but the choruses have little strength compared to some of those that come earlier on the CD. The closing ballad 'Wings Of Love' is slightly too syrupy for my taste, but would have been considered a lighters in the air classic back when melodic rock was still king. The album was self produced but mixed & mastered by the legendary Michael Wagener at his Nashville studios (hence the CD title) and he also had a hand in shaping the band's sound.

'Nashville' contains a number of familiar sounds but the arrangements could be considered by some to be unconventional. I just know I love it!

Dave Bott