This band did have some strengths and some good songs in its day--due especially to the quality of the guitar playing. Overall, though, give me Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, or Winger ANY day over this band. I love this genre of rock music more than any other, but this band simply doesn't measure up.


White Lion's "Pride"   February 19, 2004
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

"Pride" (1987) was my very first introduction to White Lion and remains my favorite album by the band. This album is an absoluteley flawless work of art. Mike Tramp (Who sounds a bit like a cross between Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Testament's Chuck Billy) has a talented and unique vocal style that mixes perfectly with one of my guitar heros, Vito Bratta. Ex-Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo has a powerful 80's style to his snare and kick drums while bassist James Lomenzo rocks awesome on the 4-string. "Pride" begins with the catchy and heavy song "hungry", which instantly grabs the listener. Next comes "Lonely Nights" which is also a very catchy song and has an absolutely phenomenal solo by Vito Bratta. "Don't Give Up" and "Sweet Little Loving" are also great songs with awesome guitar riffs and suprises. Then comes the more serious "Lady of The Valley" which features a great variety of tempo changes, mixtures of acoustic and electric guitar, and some very beautiful harmony, including a mysterious but awesome solo. "Wait" is another excellent song with great rhythm and tapping work by Vito. "All You Need Is Rock N Roll", "Tell Me", and "All Join Our Hands" are also very great songs with exceptional metal chemistry and breath-taking solos. Last but not least comes "When The Children Cry", which is a very surreal ballad that is put together as a beautiful ensemble of acoustic guitar and harmony. In this song, Vito plays an extremely emotional solo, which could literally bring tears to your eyes. I can't conjure up enough postive compliments about "Pride" and White Lion. It upsets me that some reviewers think of Vito Bratta as merely "a rip-off of Eddie Van Halen." I can bet that most of those negative reviewers have never went out and bought a guitar and an amp and tried to play in any articulate manner and appreciate how difficult it actually is. No offense to Van Halen (I happen to like Van Halen), but when you put White Lion next to Van Halen, White Lion blows Van Halen away. Van Halen made maybe 2 good albums (with Roth), but all 4 White Lion albums are so much more musically satisfying. Vito Bratta shows us joy and sorrow, love and hate, hope and despair and every human emotion with his guitar. Eddie Van Halen shows us talented tapping which is neat, but gets repetitive after a while. Vito Bratta remains the most unrecognized and profound guitarist in heavy metal. Vito Bratta is the only guitarist who's hypnotizing guitar skills have left tears in my eyes after listening, which is not easy to accomplish and is something that Eddie Van Halen has not even come close to. It's really unfortunate that White Lion was only around for such a short amount of time and that they were so extremely underrated. White Lion made the choice to not go for the gold and girls which definitely seperated them from the less talented musicians and made them less popular. Instead of singing about sex, money, and girls, White Lion emphasized on more serious issues in the world such as relationships, war, family abuse, rights, and freedom. It was also the early 90's grunge movement that eventually ended many of my favorite band's carriers. Grunge pushed a lot of great 80's heavy metal bands out of the way and then creeping up out of no where in the lime light came(c)rap "music" which really screwed things up. In conclusion, "Pride" was one of the albums that I lived on throughout highschool and it always brings back a lot of memories when I listen to it. If you don't have this album, if you love 80's heavy metal, and you don't want to be dissapointed, White Lion's "Pride" is the ideal start. I also strongly suggest "Fight To Survive", "Big Game", "Mane Attraction" and "The Best of White Lion." Long Live White Lion! ROCK N' ROAR!!!


After further review, the play still stands.   January 21, 2007
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I first saw White Lion on MTV in 1987 when their video for "Wait" came out. The moment I saw Vito Bratta play his solo I knew right then and there that I wanted an electric guitar, and I've been playing ever since. In the almost 20 years since, I've played all sorts of styles and listened to all kinds of music, but when I sat down recently to tune up my playing I found myself rummaging through old CDs and began listening to WL with fresh ears.
The results were pleasing if not life-changing, and now that I've put in almost twenty years of my own on guitar, I can safely say that Vito merits being an inspiration. While the rhythm section of James Lomenzo and Greg D'Angelo was often under-utilized (considering what they've done with Zakk Wylde, DLR, and other post-WL projects) the biggest weakness has always been Mike Tramp's voice. This is not to denigrate his prowess so much as his tone. Live videos of his singing have consistently revealed him to have weak projection and limited range-HOWEVER, let us consider that many of WL's songs vary in key and none of them are in A on this album, the easiest key in which to sing.
Tramp had a voice that, like Springsteen, Rod Stewart, or Tom Petty, has a certain nasality and raspiness that you either like or dislike, with no middle-ground. That said, any glance at the concert videos for the original line-up or his reformed version of WL on YouTube should remove any doubts that he is an energetic and engaging frontman.
What really matters, though, is the music, and contrary to what anyone thinks, the lyrics to a song really are not more important than the melody. Want proof?-sing Nena's hit "99 Balloons" in German. Can't do it? I thought so. Now hum the melody, or the synthesizer riff. That's what counts, and that is what raises White Lion above hair metal sewage like Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango, or Britny Fox. Tramp's vocal lines and Bratta's leads both obey the first rule of music making, which is create a memorable melody. In fact, it is what separates the great songs on this album (of which there are many) from the mediocre(of which there are few.) Let's examine each track:
1."Hungry"-A perfect intro features Vito introducing the main riff interspersed with tasty fills that leads into Tramp's seductive lyrics. The interplay between their call and response sells the song, and Lomenzo and D'Angelo pound out a solid base for Bratta to layer his combined lead and rhythm work. The undermining factor here is Tramp's voice-his stylistic quavers make the seductive nature of the lyrics short out. Watch his new band on YouTube and his voice is deeper, stronger, and sells this song much more effectively. 8/10
2."Lonely Nights"-A moody, midtempo lament of lost love supported by a nicely fingerpicked acoustic intro. Most of WL's songs are always compositionally sound and this one is no exception. The lyrics paint a dark picture of teenage runaways on the streets of NYC (no surprise since 3/4 of the band are native New Yorkers) and Tramp's voice most of the time fits the overall ouevre of the tune, particularly on the chorus' harmonized vocals. That's right, I said ouevre in a review of a hair metal band. Deal with it. The problem is that the song never gets into a higher gear, and musically resembles a movie with great background shots that never develops its plot. 6/10
3. "Don't Give Up"-In all honesty, this song is a guilty pleasure. Tramp sings earnestly but the hokiness of the lyrics in the chorus detract from what may be Bratta's most intricate yet most soaring leadwork, as well as a definite feeling of desperation in the verse that demands the over-the-top anthemic quality of the refrain. 7/10
4."Sweet Little Loving"-Catchy as the common cold, the refrain on this tune might actually make you want to dance. Lomenzo's bassline is notably swinging for a pop metal act and Bratta displays a restrained and tasty solo that segues nicely into a foot-stomping bridge. I've played this for headbangers and my grandmother at the same party and they both liked it! 8/10
5."Lady of the Valley"-One of the songs that places WL ahead of other hair bands, this is an overly ambitious attempt at creating an epic composition along the lines of "Stairway to Heaven" or "Free Bird." Most of it works-Tramp's vocals suit the theme of loss and sorrow, the terraced dynamics constrasted between fingerpicked acoustic guitars with thunderous Sturm und Drang on the irresistible refrain, a few brilliantly crafted leads, and a rumbling, propulsive rhythm throughout sell the song. The one weakness here are the lyrics-I think Tramp uses the word "cry" more than any lyricist this side of Hank Williams. This is excused, however, by the fact that Tramp is from Denmark and gets points for writing anything in his second language. 9/10
6."Wait"-Well, how to review this one? If there's anything that hasn't been said about it since it was on the charts 20 years ago, it probably isn't worth mentioning. EXCEPT-whether you love or hate the song, listen to Tramp's alternate arrangement on YouTube where he extends the coda and drops the song to a lower key. At first I didn't like it, but found myself going back to listen and it eventually won me over. What does this prove? That an interesting arrangement of a song requires that it be a good song in the first place, and "Wait" qualifies. Tramp's voice is perfectly suited to this tune, the arrangement of the acoustic and electric guitars has real synergy, the dynamics created by Lomenzo and D'Angelo lift your heart, and if you can't sing along with the chorus, then you just don't like any kind of rock or pop music. 9/10
7."All You Need is Rock-n-Roll"-Apparently, lucky number seven doesn't count here. The lyrics are pedestrian even for this genre, there's no force or conviction behind the amped up chorus, and with a title like this, shouldn't everything be over-the-top? Sadly, it's not. Its one saving grace is Bratta's fadeout solo where he flashes some of his blues chops and reminds you what he can do when he cuts loose. 4/10
8."Tell Me"-It was the lowest charting of the three singles released off this album, which is a crime. On the other hand, I take some pleasure in knowing that it still belongs to a true fan and won't be used in a Cingular commercial in ten years. From the opening kickdrum, the anthemic power chords, and the harmonized vocals in the first ten seconds, the pulse of this song charges up and never lets go. This is a pop song in the best sense of the term, and there isn't a wrong note anywhere in it. Tramp's delivery perfectly suits the song's theme of forbidden teenage love, Vito's fills are artfully subtle, and when the chorus kicks in, the song keeps every promise rock-n-roll ever made (to paraphrase Greil Marcus.) 10/10
9."All Join Our Hands"-A bit of a letdown after "Tell Me"'s exuberance but still a solid tune. Tramp has always distinguished himself from most glam metal singers by writing lyrics about what was going on in the world rather than how many groupies he boinked last night, and here the focus is on his despair over how we all can't live in peace. The raise-your-fist-and yell bridge puts the rest of the song over. 7/10
10."When the Children Cry"-OK-their biggest hit. Yes, Mike Tramp's voice is cloying. Yes, the lyrics are right out of a high school girl's notebook for a poetry workshop. Yes, Vito's tone is a tad brittle on the solo. Minor quibbles. Bratta's fingerpicked acoustic guitar (recorded without bass or drums, mind you) demonstrates why he was a cut above his contemporaries like Lynch, Beach, DeMartini, and Timmons-no one played better acoustically amongst any of the hair bands of the day. The message is heartfelt, the guitar playing is elegant, and if you honestly hate this song, you're just a sad, sad human being. 10/10

Overall Rating: 8/10
If you're in a bad mood after listening to this album, please talk to your doctor about Zoloft.


For sheer metal, don't miss the "lion's" roar!   August 7, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Rock would not be what it is today without the sheer force that this White Lion record unveiled upon the world. And their next two records weren't bad, either!! This effort was unfortunately released in 1987, the same huge year that Leppard's "Hysteria" and G + R's "Appetite for Destruction" were released, two very overrated and commercial albums. If not for those two metal releases, I truly believe White Lion's "Pride" would have been even huger than it was. Whereas the aforementioned bands either mired themselves in a glossy studio sheen (Leppard), or delved into the hard-partying lifestyle that can break a band (G + R), White Lion wrote sensitive ballads with an eye towards a life larger than themselves. In other words, they weren't your typical 80's metal band; they wrote about social issues, and their love ballads were more than just about sex (Leppard), or using women (G + R). No, the boys from Lion aimed a little higher than your average 80's metal filth. Take, for instance, the heartwrenching ballad entitled "When the Children Cry," a tune that still brings tears to my eyes in 2002. When others wrote about lust, drugs and partyin' all night, White Lion wrote a tender ballad that came from the meek child's point of view, as on this special song. How many metal bands...no, check that, how many bands in general would ever even dream of writing from the meek child's perspective, except perhaps the lover of "all the children of the world," Michael Jackson - The King of Pop. Except for perhaps a hymnal song in church, folks, you ain't gonna' find this kind of love for the world.

Though they were a platinum selling act, White Lion did not get the props they deserved. They should have been the Zeppelin of the 80's, not the Peter Frampton of the 70's. Anyways, for true metal, check out "Pride" by Lion.