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Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

British Lion

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Heavy Metal

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Band Overview

British Lion is the side project of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris, formed in 2012 and built around a songwriting partnership with vocalist Richard Taylor that actually dates back to the early 1990s. While Harris handles bass duties, the guitar work falls to David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, two players who bring a melodic Hard Rock sensibility that differs noticeably from Iron Maiden's galloping twin-harmony attack. The band's sound sits in a zone between classic hard rock, melodic rock, and the heavier end of AOR, with big open chords, driving riffs, and expressive lead work that prioritizes melody over shred. For guitarists, British Lion is an interesting study because the guitar parts are very much in service of the song rather than being vehicles for technical showmanship. You will find plenty of power chord driven rhythm work, tasteful pentatonic and blues-based lead lines, and a knack for layering dual guitar parts that create a full, rich harmonic texture without relying on the harmonized thirds and sixths that define Iron Maiden. The rhythm playing leans on a mix of palm-muted chugging, open chord strumming, and dynamic shifts between clean and distorted tones. Lead work tends toward expressive bends, vibrato, and melodic phrasing rather than sweep picking or tapping. Difficulty-wise, British Lion is accessible for intermediate players. The riffs are not technically demanding in the way that Iron Maiden or Progressive Metal bands are, but they require solid rhythm chops, clean chord transitions, and the ability to control dynamics. Getting the tone right is arguably the bigger challenge: the band favors a warm, organic hard rock sound with moderate gain, clarity in the midrange, and enough bite to cut through without becoming overly saturated. If you are a guitarist looking to develop your sense of melody within a hard rock framework, or if you want to step away from extreme technique and focus on feel and song structure, British Lion is a rewarding band to learn from.

What Makes British Lion Essential for Guitar Players

  • David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie use a dual-guitar approach that focuses on complementary parts rather than strict harmony lines. One guitar often drives with palm-muted power chords while the other adds melodic fills or arpeggiated clean passages, creating depth without clutter.
  • The lead guitar style is rooted in pentatonic and natural minor scales with a strong emphasis on expressive vibrato and well-placed string bends. There is very little shred or sweep picking; the solos are all about phrasing, dynamics, and serving the vocal melody.
  • Rhythm parts frequently alternate between tight palm-muted sections and open ringing chords, requiring good right-hand control to manage the transitions cleanly. Downpicking stamina is helpful, though the tempos are generally more moderate than Iron Maiden's relentless gallop.
  • Clean tone sections appear regularly and demand precise fretting to avoid buzz and unwanted string noise. These passages often use arpeggiated chord shapes or hybrid picking patterns that add a textural contrast to the heavier moments.
  • The interplay between the two guitars creates opportunities to practice playing in a band context where locking in with another guitarist is essential. Learning both parts of a British Lion song will sharpen your ear for arrangement and teach you how two guitar parts can occupy different sonic spaces without stepping on each other.

Did You Know?

Steve Harris wrote many of the songs that became British Lion material back in the early 1990s with Richard Taylor, long before the project had a name or a proper lineup. Some of those riffs sat in a drawer for nearly two decades before being recorded.

Despite Steve Harris being one of metal's most iconic figures, British Lion intentionally avoids the Iron Maiden sound. The guitar tone is warmer and less aggressive, and the songwriting leans more toward classic rock and melodic hard rock than NWOBHM.

Guitarist David Hawkins comes from a background in melodic rock and brings a strong sense of hook-oriented lead playing. His solos often feel like they could be hummed, which is a testament to his prioritization of melody over speed.

British Lion frequently plays smaller club venues, a stark contrast to Iron Maiden's stadium tours. This intimate setting means the guitar tones are dialed for room volume rather than arena-sized PA systems, giving the recordings a rawer, more immediate feel.

The self-titled debut album was largely recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs, which means the guitar parts you hear on record are very close to what you would need to replicate in a live setting. No studio trickery to worry about.

Grahame Leslie favors a straightforward rig with minimal effects, keeping the focus on amp tone and playing dynamics. This makes British Lion songs excellent practice material for guitarists who want to develop their touch and tone without relying on pedals.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

British Lion 2012

The self-titled debut is the best starting point because it establishes the band's core sound: driving melodic hard rock with well-crafted dual guitar parts. Tracks like 'These Are the Hands' and 'The Chosen Ones' feature excellent rhythm guitar work with dynamic shifts between clean and overdriven tones, while the leads showcase tasteful pentatonic phrasing. Great for developing your sense of melodic soloing and rhythm control.

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The Burning album cover
The Burning 2020

The second album sees the band with a tighter, more confident sound and slightly heavier guitar tones. 'Lightning' and 'Legend' feature driving riffs that demand solid palm-muting technique and precise downpicking. The lead work is more adventurous here, with longer solo sections that explore the fretboard more widely. If you want to push your intermediate skills a step further, this album delivers.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie have been seen using a mix of classic rock guitars including Les Paul style instruments and Stratocaster types. Hawkins tends to favor humbucker-equipped guitars for the thicker rhythm tones and lead sustain, while Leslie has been spotted with both single-coil and humbucker setups depending on the song's tonal needs. There are no heavily modified or signature model guitars in play here; these are straightforward, road-tested instruments.

Amp

The British Lion guitar tone suggests classic British tube amplification in the Marshall or similar family, driven to moderate gain levels. Think of a Marshall JCM800 or similar platform pushed into natural breakup territory rather than scooped high-gain metal tones. The midrange is prominent, the low end is tight but not boomy, and the top end has enough presence to cut without being shrill. Settings likely sit around 5-6 on the gain with mids pushed to 6-7 for that warm, punchy hard rock bark.

Pickups

The overall tone points to medium-output humbuckers in the PAF or vintage hot-wound range, somewhere around 8-10k ohms. This output level keeps dynamics responsive, so picking attack directly shapes the tone from clean to crunch. The warmth and clarity in the clean sections, combined with the smooth sustain in leads, suggests pickups that are not overly compressed or high-output. A set of classic Alnico II or Alnico V humbuckers would get you in the right ballpark.

Effects & Chain

British Lion keeps the effects chain minimal and tasteful. The primary tones come from guitar volume control and amp interaction. A boost or light overdrive pedal may be used to push the amp for lead sections, and some reverb (likely spring or plate style) adds depth without washing things out. There is no heavy use of modulation, delay, or wah. This is a 'plug in and play' approach where tone comes from fingers, pickups, and tubes. A simple setup of tuner, boost, and reverb would cover most of their sounds.

Recommended Gear

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Grahame Leslie uses Stratocasters for their single-coil versatility, allowing him to dial in bright, cutting tones for rhythm parts while maintaining clarity in the mix alongside Hawkins' thicker Les Paul lines.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

David Hawkins favors Les Pauls for their humbuckers, delivering the warm, thick rhythm tones and smooth sustain that anchor British Lion's classic hard rock foundation.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Custom's enhanced humbuckers provide Hawkins with darker, more articulate lead tones that cut through the band's mix while maintaining the responsive dynamics essential to their straightforward playing approach.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

This amp's natural breakup character at moderate gain levels perfectly captures British Lion's warm, punchy hard rock bark, with prominent midrange and tight low end that defines their classic British rock tone.

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro
Pickup

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro

These medium-output humbuckers deliver the responsive dynamics and vintage warmth that allow British Lion's guitarists to control tone directly through picking attack and amp interaction, crucial to their minimal-effects philosophy.

How to Practice British Lion on GuitarZone

Every British Lion song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Legend - Guitar Lesson