With Wrabit’s John Albani driving the show, the Lee Aaron sound for this album comes off like his former band but with female vocals.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Lee Aaron
ALBUM: Metal Queen
LABEL: Attic
SERIAL: LAT 1188
YEAR: 1984
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
LINEUP: Lee Aaron – vocals * John Albani, George Bernhardt – guitars, backing vocals * Jack Meli – bass, backing vocals * Atilla Demjen – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Metal Queen * 02 Lady Of The Darkest Night * 03 Head Above Water * 04 Got To Be The One * 05 Shake It Up * 06 Deceiver * 07 Steal Away Your Love * 08 Hold Out * 09 Breakdown * 10 We Will Be Rockin’
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
She really wasn’t the Metal Queen.. surely? I can say that safely after many years, and know that I can get away with it. These days that title would probably go to someone like former Arch Enemy singer Angela Gossow, but three decades and counting is a hell of a difference between what was considered female heavy metal then, versus what it is now.
There was very little in the way of female HM back in the early 80’s. We had a Metal Priestess in Wendy O Williams and a pair of ‘rock queens’ with the Wilson sisters. Perhaps Doro Pesch could’ve been the closest contender, but as history shows, Lee Aaron did enough to earn the crown based on her music, a heap of gigs, good musicians in her band, and of course, her looks!
Coming to stardom (sort of) in 1982 with her ‘Lee Aaron Project’, that EP went on to become a fully fledged album the following year, musicians on her album were a who’s who of Canadian rockdom back then, including members from Santers, Triumph, Wrabit and Moxy.
Soon signed to Attic Records, Lee got her new band together for her second breakthrough album ‘Metal Queen’, the image and attitude can be viewed as a bit silly all these years later, but it was a hell of a lotta fun back in the day!
The Songs
With Wrabit‘s John Albani driving the show, the Lee Aaron sound for this album comes off like his former band but with female vocals. Both he and future Beau Nasty guitarist George Bernhardt share the guitar duties, and they tear it up on tracks such as the blistering ‘Deceiver’, with its twin-guitar attack, the chugga chugga ‘We Will Be Rockin’ with a hint of boogie/hard rock built into the mix.
The title track ‘Metal Queen’ is probably the best remembered track here, for which there was also a video made. When Lee turns down the volume for slower ballad type material, the results are equally as good, as with ‘Got To Be The One’. ‘Head Above Water’ is one of my favourite tracks on the album, not far behind the shuffly hard rock of ‘Shake It Up’.
In Summary
Whoever was in charge of Lee’s wardrobe and image back then probably should’ve been fired. I mean, this was the era of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and guys like Manowar took this imagery to the extreme, but for Lee to copy it was a bit daft. Thankfully she dropped the furs and swords and moved back to more conventional attire.
Her follow-up albums ‘Call Of The Wild’, ‘Lee Aaron’ and ‘Bodyrock’ are great LP’s, and in all honesty, far more consistent than this effort. Still, it was 1984 after all, and some things remain best left in the past. I’m sure Lee will agree.
Video
Metal Queen
Entire Album (Select Tracks)
