You read that Interpol is releasing another album. Good for them. Now forget about it, because LION'S SHARE just dropped "We Are What We Are" and it makes every sad-boy indie band sound like they are tuning up for a high school talent show. This is heavy metal built on conviction, not convenience.
Lars Chriss does not waste a single note on this track. The main riff hits like a sledgehammer to your chest cavity, and it stays there for the entire runtime. There is no verse-chorus-verse padding. Chriss knows that when you have a riff this monstrous, you let it breathe and you let it crush.
The Voice That Commands
Nils Patrik Johansson is not a singer. He is a force of nature that happens to use vocal cords. When he roars "We are what we are," you believe him because there is zero strain, zero affectation. This is a man who has been doing this long enough to know that authenticity does not need gimmicks.
Listen to how Johansson rides the chorus. He does not disappear into the mix. He plants his feet and dares the drums to try and bury him. They cannot. The production keeps everything front and center, which is exactly how heavy metal should sound: like a fight you are glad you are losing.
Rhythm Section That Refuses to Disappoint
The drumming on "We Are What We Are" is a masterclass in restraint. Every fill lands exactly when it should and not a millisecond sooner. Double bass work is present but never overbearing. This is a band that understands dynamics: when to pull back, when to punch.
The bass guitar locks in with the kick drum like they share one nervous system. There is a moment in the bridge where everything drops to a half-time feel, and it is the most satisfying two seconds of music I have heard all year. That is not an exaggeration. That is a fact.
Production That Does Not Lie
The mix on this track is refreshingly dry. No stupid reverb tails, no triggered samples that sound like a drum machine having a seizure. You can hear the room. You can hear the strings. You can hear that these men are standing in a room and playing instruments like human beings.
The guitar tone is all midrange aggression. No scooped nonsense. Chriss knows that heavy metal lives in the mids, where the riff can actually be heard through a wall of distortion. This is the sound of a professional who has nothing left to prove.
Why This Matters Now
In a world where every band is trying to sound like a watered-down version of something else, LION'S SHARE stands in the middle of the room and dares you to look away. "We Are What We Are" is not a single. It is a statement of purpose. If you need a reminder of what real heavy metal sounds like, this is it.
You will not hear this track on a playlist designed for studying. You will not hear it in a coffee shop. You will hear it in a basement or a bar or a festival field, and you will feel your spine realign. That is the point. LION'S SHARE understands the assignment.