As requested, here’s some unreleased HOUSE OF LORDS material.After a long hiatus, leader James Christian started to plan the return of the band at the beginning of the new Millennium. This was materialized with the album The Power And The Myth released in 2004, a record with more progressive orientation that disappointed first time fans.
In my book, The Power And The Myth is a very good album, mature and with superb musicianship. It isn’t the bombastic melodic hard rock the band was previously known for, but a really solid and interesting evolution in musical terms.
However, the genesis of the album, or better, the HOL return, was in fact inspired by the sound & style of its origins, and the proof are these demos recorded around 2001, later discarded.
Songs like the punchy ‘Shotgun Doctor’ is driven by a sharp guitar riff akin House Of Lords’ second album Sahara, midtempo ‘After The Love Is Gone’ has great atmospheres akin the first, same with the pulsating ‘Angel Of The City’, which in fact was written in the ’80s.
‘Hero’s Song’ was included into the recently featured here ‘Anthology’, and ‘Love Can Build A Bridge’ is a midtempo ballad with acoustic guitars into the mix in the classic HOL style of the beginning.
One of my favorite from these demo sessions is ‘Cruel (Someday)’, a mid-paced AOR tune with a fantastic melody, sweet vocals, a catchy chorus and radio potential. I love this tune.
There’s an ‘Instrumental’ workout for a solid, quite epic rocking song, and from the original 1988 demo session, we have the rare original version of ‘Angel Of The City (80s demo version)’.
All these demos are in very good quality sound.
To make this compilation more complete, there’s ALL the Japan bonus tracks, from ALL House Of Lords releases to date.
As a plus, included is the song House Of Lords recorded for the ARfm Radio benefit CD known as “The Undying Fire”, a Limited Edition collection of 14 tracks all of which are either brand new, unreleased or live, provided by top melodic hard rock acts. House Of Lords contributed with the unreleased ‘Point Of No Return’, especially recorded for the project.
As extra plus, you have the very good melodic rock song ‘Every Little Lie’, appeared as bonus track in the Japanese edition of James Christian’s solo album ‘Lay It All On Me’.
The Unreleased:
01 – Shotgun Doctor
02 – After The Love Is Gone
03 – Angel Of The City
04 – Hero’s Song
05 – Cruel (Someday)
06 – Instrumental
07 – Love Can Build A Bridge
08 – Angel Of The City (80s demo version – rare)
The Bonus Tracks:
09 – Point Of No Return (The Undying Fire exclusive)
10 – Havana (The Power And The Myth Japan Bonus)
11 – Gone (World Upside Down Japan Bonus)
12 – Another Day From Heaven (Remix / Come To My Kingdom EU Bonus)
13 – It Might Have Been Madness (Come To My Kingdom Japan Bonus)
14 – Who (Cartesian Dreams Japan bonus)
15 – The Train (Cartesian Dreams Europe Bonus)
16 – The Next Time I Hold You (Piano Remix – Big Money Japan Bonus)
17 – Precious Metal (Acoustic Version – Precious Metal Japan Bonus)
18 – The End Of Time (Indestructible Japan Bonus Track)
19 – The Sun Will Never Set Again (Acoustic – Saint Of The Lost Souls JP Bonus)
20 – You (New World-New Eyes Japan Bonus)
21 – Saints and Sinners (Acoustic Version – Saint and Sinners Japan bonus)
extra:
22 – James Christian – Every Little Lie (Lay It All On Me Japan Bonus)
HOUSE OF LORDS – The RARE & ALL The Japan Bonus Tracks 2022
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