Last In Line was formed in 2013, when Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, and Jimmy Bain, original members of the band DIO and co-writers on the classic “Holy Diver”, “The Last In Line” and “Sacred Heart” albums, teamed up with vocalist Andrew Freeman.

Their debut album Heavy Crown was released in February of 2016, landing at #1 on the Billboard Heat-Seekers Chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy Bain unexpectedly passed away. Last In Line, honoring what they knew would be Bain’s wish to keep the band moving, brought in renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-Ozzy Osbourne) and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as Saxon and Megadeth.

In late 2017, the band gathered in L.A. to start the recording of a second album, titled ‘II’. Having gelled as a band while touring in support of the debut album, the songwriting came readily to the members. They created a record that showed a big progression in sound, while immediately being recognizable as Last In Line. “The musical style of ‘II’ was different from Heavy Crown, but it wasn’t something that we planned to do,” explained Vivian Campbell. The natural growth and development of the band led us to the songs on the album. As always, the band would jam on ideas and see where they led; ‘Heavy Crown’ had set a tone but with more parts and more experimentation, ‘II’ took that debut and developed it to the next logical stage.
Quickly, the band seized the opportunity to create the foundation for the third album, this time it was to be self-produced. With limited face-to-face time in the studio, they managed to start to write and record the material while still maintaining the integrity of the Last In Line writing process.

“I don’t want to bore anyone with stories of the challenges we had making this record” says vocalist Andrew Freeman, “because personally, I am privileged to make music at this level. Last In Line is a creative force that has been fighting to exist in the music industry since the band started. It is always a challenge, no matter the circumstances. Through our strong musical chemistry, we have bonded and created brotherhood that cannot be broken. When you hear the songs on the new album, Jericho, you will be blown away. Straight up…this is the best music we have made in our collective careers”.

Guitarist Vivian Campbell continues “With Last In Line, just as we did with Dio, we cut the basic tracks live. It’s important for us to capture the energy of the syncopation of playing together in real time – much like the energy of a live show. We had cut the first six tracks in L.A. immediately prior to the global shutdown from Covid, but unfortunately had to wait until early 2022 to cut the remaining six tracks. For the overdubbed parts, we worked alone at home, a situation that was new and different, but not entirely without benefit. Although technology has always been challenging to me, personally, once I got over that initial hurdle, it was beneficial in a way, as I had the opportunity to better my performances. This record represents the best of both worlds: the spirit of an energetic band performance, and the more reflective and nuanced qualities of our individual performances, too.”
Drummer Vinny Appice would wholeheartedly agree, “All of the musical forces of Last In Line are combined here for a super powerful new record! Press play – and put your seatbelts on!!”