Lovell’s Blade: Stone Cold Steel

Stone Cold Steel is the debut album from Lovell’s Blade, a new band led by a veteran of the Dutch heavy metal scene. Lovell, of course, is Pete Lovell, who is best known as the former frontman of Picture (and Emergency). Lovell is joined by former Picture guitarists Andre Wullems and Mike Ferguson as well as bassist Patrick Velis (Doghouse Gallows) and drummer Noel Van Eersel (Nembrionic).

It should surprise exactly no one that Stone Cold Steel sounds a lot like a Picture album, and that’s far from a bad thing. Lovell and company have a knack for delivering heavy, melodic tunes that just straddle the line between hard rock and heavy metal. Several of the songs on this album sound like supercharged Thin Lizzy rockers or heavier modern Uriah Heep. Lovell sounds terrific as expected. His voice is a bit weathered, but that just adds to the character of this album.

“Dynamite,” “Devil’s Daughter” and “Out for Blood” are the standout tracks on Stone Cold Steel, and while it drags a bit towards the end, overall the album is really solid and very satisfying.

If you were a fan of Lovell’s work in Picture (and you should be), you’re likely to enjoy Lovell’s Blade as well. Stone Cold Steel is a very promising debut that fans of bands like Black Star Riders, Saxon, Elixir, Last in Line, Uriah Heep and melodic hard rock in general ought to check out.

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