I always look forward to a new LILLIAN AXE record because quite frankly they have never released a bad one. This time around they return with a brand new singer in tow (their third in the last few years). The departure of Derrick LeFevre was bit of a disappointment because I thought he was a natural replacement for the bands longtime vocalist Ron Taylor. One thing is for sure, mastermind Steve Blaze knows what he wants from the bands sound and he surrounds himself with people who share that vision. New vocalist, Brian C. Jones, has the voice to fit and based on the interview he did with RockEyez’s own Brian Rademacher, he was a fan of the band before joining and he understands the bands legacy sound.

The new record, “XI: The Days Before Tomorrow” is another solid effort in the bands history but it is not without its flaws either. The record opens strongly with “Babylon”. The guitar riffs fly out of the speakers right off the bat courtesy of Mr. Blaze and that is always nice to hear when you are talking about such a talented player. Jones’ vocals fit comfortably complete with the usual LILLIAN AXE flair. Jones is not an exact clone of Taylor or LeFevre but something in the middle. On certain songs he sounds very close to what you have come to expect from LILLIAN AXE and at others he shows more of his own style and I suppose you really couldn’t ask for anything more.

“Babylon” is a straightforward riff-based rocker with enough of a hook to grab you and make say ‘give me more please’. And the next track “Death Comes Tomorrow” does just that, as it’s another classic LILLIAN AXE rocker. The LILLIAN sound is slightly progressive yet melodic, heavy yet gentle and it’s that “light and dark” approach that ultimately has always drawn me to the bands’ sound. You get all that with “Death Comes Tomorrow” and it’s amazing how Steve Blaze never fails to come up with a cool riff. Lyrically that band continues with the theme they had on the previous release (EP) “Deep Red Shadows”, as the imagery of vampires and the afterlife and such are abound on this track.

“Gather Up The Snow” is where the album finds me fading a little though. The song just doesn’t do anything for me with its trudging rhythm and just doesn’t seem to go anywhere and ultimately never exceeds at getting out of the gate. The same can be said for the following song, “The Great Divide”. At almost six and a half minutes it features the same mid-tempo range as the previous track and just fails to grab my attention or ignite interest.

“Take The Bullet” is an edgy rocker, which deals with military warfare and I believe is the first track featured as a single off the new record. The song picks things back up a notch and at times has that familiar LILLIAN AXE vibe but with an ever so slightly different approach. It makes for a winner of a song.

“Bow Your Head” is about as close as LILLIAN gets to a ballad on “XI: The Days Before Tomorrow”. The song is reminiscent of the familiar LILLIAN AXE sound and harkens back to the “Poetic Justice” album. Jones turns in an impressive vocal on the song too.

“Caged In” starts out with an aggressive “howl” from Jones and again has that trademark LILLIAN AXE sound mixed with a slightly more modern, edgy tone. The song is straightforward lyrically and sees Steve Blaze going off on the solo. I envision the tune making for a good live opener!

“Soul Disease” features some quirky time changes and doesn’t feature a traditional chorus but at the end of the day it works fairly well. It’s probably the most progressive (or eclectic) I’ve heard on the record but the traditional LILLIAN AXE sound (think “Psychoschizophrenia” period) shines through and makes the song kind of cool. On top of that it features some great guitar work again from Blaze.

“Lava On My Tongue” is another riff-based rocker and another good song. It’s another song that is reminiscent of the “Psychschizophrenia” period. In fact it has shades of the classic track “Deepfreeze” from that record (one of my favorite LILLIAN AXE tracks).

“XI: The Days Before Tomorrow” ends with “My Apologies”. The song is another mid to slower-paced tune with acoustic interspersed throughout and sort of sounds like it could have fit in on the “Poetic Justice” album. It’s not quite as strong as anything of that record but certainly has that flair.

In conclusion, “XI: The Days Before Tomorrow” is a somewhat “pivotal” record for the band because they are introducing another new vocalist into the mix. I’m glad to say they have gone in the right direction and the legacy LILLIAN AXE sound has been left intact. Steve Blaze is still a monster player (but still plays for the song) and a man who knows what he wants LILLIAN AXE to sound like. Here is where I dislike the RockEyez rating system… I have always felt it’s not encompassing enough at times and if I had the chance I’d rate it somewhere in the mid to higher 80’s (out of 100). As it is I’m not sure if I would call it 3 ½ or 4 stars. Can I say its 3 ¾ stars, which I guess would be rounded to 4???