On disc: Jørn

 
 Out To Every Nation
 
- Sandra Bucher -
 
 


 
 The Duke
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Unlocking The Past
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Lonely Are The Brave
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Spirit Black
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Dukebox
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Dio
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 no rating


 
 Live In Black
 
- Philip Thelen -
 
 


 
 Bring Heavy Rock To The Land
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Symphonic
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Traveller
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Traveller

(Frontiers Records - 2013)



 
 

 

Norwegian singer Jørn Lande is presenting another Jørn album, Traveller. As you can expect Mr Lande is paying tribute to his idols, especially to Ronnie James Dio, but with a with a new line-up things might change a bit... The opener Overload is obviously another Dio-inspired tune. The following Cancer Demon and the closer The Man Who Was King is also talking about Ronnie James Dio. The title track Traveller is a quite typical Jorn tune and one which fans will sing along at shows.




 




The heavy riff of Make Your Engine Scream will get you right away, the slow tune is varying a bit, but not too much to make the song stick out. Carry The Black is a bit doomy and so reminds me slightly of Black Sabbath with Dio... The closer The Man Who Was King opens up with acoustic guitar and slowly builds up, it becomes a heavy rocker.



The album is good, but don't offer any surprises. It offers a bit more variety, but if the last albums didn't get you, this won't, too.




 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Symphonic

(Frontiers Records - 2013)



 
 

 

Jørn Lande is presenting a new album, but again he revived old tracks... You'll find songs from his solo albums next to Masterplan tracks and covers of Dio and Black Sabbath. The album title symphonic tells the story, the songs are presented in a symphonic version - and as Jørn said, some songs can shine even more in this symphonic sound. They kick off with I Came To Rock. A classic like Rock And Roll Children will definitely hook you up. Songs like Time To Be King get a different feel due through the orchestration. One of my faves is Black Morning, a track which really shines. I love the moody sound combined with symphonic elements.



Well, I would have preferred an album with new songs, but I won't complain, coz I like the symphonic sound - but this album won't please everybody!



Track list:



I Came To Rock

Rock And Roll Children

The World I See

Burn Your Flame

Man Of The Dark

My Road

Time To Be King

Black Morning

Like Stone In Water

Vision Eyes

War Of The World

Behind The Clown

A Thousand Cuts

The Mob Rules



 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Bring Heavy Rock To The Land

(Frontiers Records - 2012)



 
 

 

Jørn Lande's new album is called Bring Heavy Rock To The Land, it is the first studio album of the Norwegian singer since Spirit Black in 2009, but afterwards we got a best-of, a cover and a live album. Additionally the charismatic singer did some guest appearances, another album with Masterplan and one more Allen / Lande.



Slowly they kick off with My Road, the first real rocker is the title track Bring Heavy Rock To The Land. The mid-paced rocker gives Jørn Lande space to shine. The heavy long track A Thousand Cuts is based on sharp riffs and takes you onto a sonic journey á la Jørn Lande. The cover version of Christopher Cross' Ride Like The Wind is presented in a metalized version - something Saxon did before - and I think it would have been wise to do it differently... Personally I like Jørn's voice more, others will prefer the Saxon version. Heavy riffs take you into Chains Around You, a fast guitar-driven rocker. It's a good decision to vary in speed, it makes the album more interesting and Jørn Lande is one of the singers who is doing equally good at balladesque tunes and rockers. Perfectly demonstrated at The World I See which combines balladesque moments with powerful parts - and everything in between. Why Mr. Lande decided to do Time To Be King, a Masterplan tune, I have no idea. Closer inspection might reveal differences... It's still a good one, but more metal than the other tracks on Bring Heavy Rock To The Land. Even if with Ride To The Guns a metal tune follows, but the fast track still carries a heavy rock vibe, but for me isn't among my favorites. Jørn and his mates slow down for the bluesy Black Morning, a cool hard rock tune. Love this one. For the closer they speed up again, I Came To Rock. Another heavy rock track, but this time the songs vary more - and that's good. Hopefully this album will be promoted live... and next time the Norwegian singer will give us another example of his sonic spectrum.

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Live In Black

(AFM Records - 2011)



 
 

 

Jørn Lande is known for his unique voice which is taking place in so many fantastic line ups such as Avantasia, Masterplan, Millenium or Allen / Lande. With his own band Jørn he released eight studio albums so far. Now it is time for another live album with the title: Live In Black. The live album counts two discs with seventeen tracks. The track listing is straight through time of Jørn's history. Powerful songs as We Brought The Angels Down, Below or War Of The World are showing once more that Jørn his rightfully called 'Norse god of metal'. Beside his own songs, there are two guitar solos and one drum solo. There is also an DVD with the whole concert and beside this two video clips (Song For Ronnie James & Man Of The Dark).



The sound is quiet good in the mix so you can easily turn on the volume. If you didn't had the chance to see Jørn live, purchase the live album and listen to it loud through your Hi-Fi. If you don't know Jørn in any case or don't know his own band, listen to it!



I recommend the following: Shadow People, Below, We Brought The Angels Down, The Inner Road, Man Of The Dark, War Of The World.

 
 










Philip Thelen


  
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Dio

(Frontiers - 2010)



 
 

 

A while ago Jørn Lande thought about honoring one of the biggest influences in the metal world - singer Ronnie James Dio. Lande was influenced by Dio for decades and the only original song is Song For Ronnie James which cites Dio songs and is a powerful rocker written to honor a living legend. Well, when Lande wrote this song Ronnie James Dio was still alive, now as the album comes out Ronnie James Dio lost his fight against cancer and so this becomes a posthumous honor.



Jørn Lande recorded the songs with his band mates and even a live version of Straight Through The Heart made it onto this disk. Jørn Lande picked some true Dio classics, but also a few less known ones. And so they start into this sonic homage with Invisible, a true classic and a heavy rocker. They stay close to the originals, but Jørn isn't just copying the master!



After Push two true classics follow Stand Up And Shout and Don't Talk To Strangers. Lord Of The Last Day off Magica most won't have picked, but perhaps it makes some pick up Magica again... With Night People and Sunset Superman he offers two songs off Dream Evil and a medley of Lonely Is The Word and Letters From Earth represents the Black Sabbath era while Kill The King stands for Dio's time in Rainbow.



Well, to release this album shortly after the passing of a legend might be impious to some, but first, you don't record such an album within a few days! Second, Jørn Lande plays songs Dio songs live for years, so he's not jumping on the bandwagon. If it was smart to release it that shortly after Ronnie James Dio's passing, well... perhaps not. Anyway, fans of Jørn Lande and Ronnie James Dio will be well entertained by this album!



Track list:



Song For Ronnie James

Invisible

Shame on the Night

Push

Stand Up And Shout

Don't Talk to Strangers

Lord Of The Last Day

Night People

Sacred Heart

Sunset Superman

Lonely Is The Word / Letters From Earth (2010 version)

Kill The King

Straight Through The Heart (live)

Song For Ronnie James (video)

 

 








Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Dukebox

(AFM Records - 2009)



 
 

 

With Dukebox AFM Records release a Best-Of album of the Norwegian singer and so this CD is mainly interesting for metal fans who know Jørn Lande from one of his various projects or Masterplan and don't owe his solo albums. With 16 songs you get a CD full of hard rock / melodic metal and the collection offers all of his classics - many of these songs he still plays live. There is nothing to complain about the songs, but long-time fans of Jørn Lande will already own the albums... And there is nothing new, on the other hand nobody can criticize him or the label for just milk the fans... Usually you would find one or two new songs and so make the die-hard fans buy the disc - not here. So, if you like Jørn's voice and don't have his albums, then this is a good way to start!



Track list:



Man Of The Dark

Starfire

Young Forever

Soul Of The Wind

Living With Wolves

War Of The World

Sunset Station

We Brought The Angels Down

The Inner Road

Tungur Knivur

Stormcrow

Out To Every Nation

Lonely Are The Brave

Blacksong

Shadow People

Duke Of Love
 


 












Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Spirit Black

(AFM Records - 2009)



 
 

 

Norwegian singer Jørn Lande presents his new album Spirit Black and it seems that nothing can stop him... Since he left Masterplan he frequently released albums and with Lonely Are The Brave he released a great album, will he be able to keep this level? Well, the title track is also the opener and shows again his love for hard rock, Whitesnake and Ronnie James Dio. Spirit Black is a great hard rock tune and won't disappoint his fans. With Below he offers another powerful rocker which is guitar-driven, but has a majestic edge due to Jorn's vocals. The guitars add an Oriental touch to the up-tempo rocker Road Of The Cross, one of my favorites on Spirit Black. After The Last Revolution they kick off City In Between with bells and an AC/DC-kinda riffing, but the drum pattern make this one differ from the Australian's rock. The song sticks out, not a typical Jørn Lande tune - and so it needs more time to grow. Acoustically starts Rock N Roll Angel, a touching balladesque opening with a melancholy touch, then they add some power and it becomes a catchy rocker. Another highlight. Time to speed up for Burn Your Flame! A fast, powerful tune where Jørn admiration for David Coverdale shows through. Great guitar work! At World Gone Mad he revives the Thin Lizzy sound before he surprises with I Walk Alone! Or did anybody expect a cover version of a Tarja Turunen song? Actually he make the song sound like one of his own, but I guess that many Tarja fans won't like the hard rock version.... Its a matter of taste.



Another strong album by the Norwegian singer which shows again his love for hard rock. But he manages to present varying songs which sound modern, even if they are based in the 80's. If you love hard rock and if Whitesnake and Dio are among your faves, then this is a real treat for you! Fans of the Jørn Lande will get their copy anyway - and they won't be disappointed!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Lonely Are The Brave

(Frontiers - 2008)



 
 

 

With Lonely Are The Brave Jørn Lande delivers some new songs. Since the Norwegian singer left Masterplan he presents releases very frequently - and they don't lack quality!



The title track is opening up and a up-tempo guitar rock which soon will haunt you! This is how we know Mr. Lande! Great guitar rock with emotional vocals. An ear catcher!



With Night City he revives the era of Holy Diver! That Jørn admires Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale is no secret and with Night City he shows it again. Heavy riffs dominate the sound and even as this one needs a bit longer then the title track you soon won't forget the refrain! Guitarists Jørn Viggo Lofstad and Tore Moren add some crunchy riffs and force them on. With music and sounds of gun fire the track Shadow People kicks off. A loud scream of Jørn and the push forward. A faster one which is more aggressive. But still Jørn has great melody lines and hooks you up easily. But then they slow down a bit, but keep the main riff. While Soul Of The Wind is slower and somehow fragile in the beginning - its a bit Dio-ish -, but then they get really heavy! Pounding drums and sharp riffs lead into this doomy tune. A different side of Jørn, but still intense and emotional. Quite catchy is Promises with its anthem-like refrain. But the songs has a few surprises for the listener. With Hellfire the album ends. Another doomy rocker with soul. Without the vocals of Jørn Lande it would be a decent album, but it's his voice which makes his songs special. Let yourself be dragged into the sound universe of Jørn Lande!



On of the highlights for me is Man Of The Dark which is also a bit dragging and as usual Jørn's voice ennobles the tune. This one shows that whenever Ronnie James Dio will retire, someone is waiting to step up and take over his role!

Fans of this extraordinary singer will get a copy of Lonely Are The Brave as soon as it gets in the stores, but I highly recommend the album to fans of Ronnie James Dio and Whitesnake - pre-1987 - and everyone who loves guitar-driven heavy metal of the 80's! Well done!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Unlocking The Past

(Frontiers - 2007)



 
 

 

This album will start off again the arguing about cover albums, but this discussion will start allover again sooner or later. One might ask why Jørn Lande is releasing an album like Unlocking The Past, but as he told me last summer he wants to introduce young fans to the bands and songs which made him start making music. Songs who had an influence on him and so this are all old rockers from bands like Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and MSG. The tracks been recorded with different musicians he worked with through the years and even if they keep their version close to the original the songs are much heavier then the originals.



The start off with the MSG track On And On which I always loved, so he already had me with this one. Some of the songs like Fool For Your Loving and Cold Sweat he already played live at solo shows and so it's no surprise to find them on this collection. With Lonely Is The Word / Letters From Earth he offers some Black Sabbath - in an unusual way. The track is very heavy and doomy. It combines two songs of different eras which is interesting, especially as the wove in some parts of The Sign Of The Southern Cross and Children Of The Sea. Unbelievable!



With the Bad Company track Feel Like Making Love he slows down a bit... Interesting version and a song I didn't really expect from Mr. Lande, even if he's a huge fan of the band. With Kill The King it's Rainbow time! But here he can't keep up with the original, even if this version is far from being average. Another Deep Purple classic is Perfect Strangers from their 1984 comeback album. One of the best songs and live a classic they still play at every show. Here Jørn can easily keep up with the original! My personal highlight on this album! And with On And On the songs I recommend to check out Unlocking The Past. And to be honest, if this would be the end of the album, it would be fine with me. I never been a huge fan of Kiss and so Naked City isn't a blast for me. Perhaps he should have chosen a different song of the masked four... Last, but not least the City Boy track The Day The Earth Caught Fire which is a cool track, but seems a bit out of place as it's much more progressive and has a different vibe then the other tracks.



Fans of the Norwegian singer will buy this anyway, it's a must-have for a fan. But I can highly recommend this album to all fans of heavy rock and of classic tunes. In my opinion way better then many other cover albums!




Track list:



On And On (Schenker/Barden)

Fool For Your Loving (Coverdale/Marsden/Moody)

Cold Sweat (Lynott/Sykes)

Lonely Is The Word / Letters From Earth (Butler/Dio/Iommi)

Burn (Blackmore/Coverdale/Lord/Paice)

Feel Like Making Love (Rodgers/Ralphs)

Kill The King (Blackmore/Dio)

Perfect Strangers (Blackmore/Glover/Gillan)

Naked City (Simmons/Castro/Kulick/Poncia)

The Day The Earth Caught Fire (Mason/Thomas/Slamer)
 

 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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The Duke

(AFM Records - 2006)



 
 

 

Most will know Jørn Lande from his work with Masterplan, but the Norwegian was very busy for years working with bands like Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond, Brazen Abbott, Nikolo Kotzev, Russell / Lande and The Snakes. And this is his 4th solo album! Due to his work with Masterplan his last studio album Out To Every Nation got a bit more attention, but even if there were some catchy tunes, it needed a few more spins.



The latest album of singer Jørn Lande starts really heavy with We Brought The Angels Down. A heavy mid-tempo groover which is really catchy. Especially Mr. Lande's bluesy, but powerful voice adds the certain something to this song. A good choice to opening up. A bit more straight forward is Blacksong - based on guitar riffing and powerful drumming. Tempi changes and complex parts need a bit longer to spark, but then you won't forget again this really heavy tune. Stormcrow combined heaviness and progressive sounds. Especially the guitars are great. With a Whitesnake vibe The Duke Of Love comes over you, but this one is more heavy then Coverdale's songs. The ballad Burning Chains sounds like Whitesnake, too. In case Mr. Coverdale should present us a new studio album we can just hope that the songs can match the quality of this track. With Are You Ready they present a cover version of Thin Lizzy - one of Jorn Lande's favorite bands -, but this is much heavier and sounds modern. Close to the original, but not a simple copy. Very enjoyable.



For The Duke Jørn got legendary Don Airey (Deep Purple, ex-Rainbow, ex-Ozzy Osbourne, etc.) to play keyboards, but with Jørn Viggo Løfstad (Pagan's Mind) and Tore Møren (Arcturus, Rain) on guitars, Morty Black (ex-TNT) on bass and Willy Bendiksen (ex-The Snakes) on drums he got together the right people.



Listen to: Stromcrow, End Of Time, Burning Chains and The Duke Of Love.

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Out To Every Nation

(AFM Records - 2004)



 
 

 

For many fans Masterplan was the first time they heard singer Jørn Lande, but he already recorded albums with Ark and Beyond Twilight. This is his 3rd solo album and due to the success of Masterplan more rock / metal fans will get aware of it. Musically Jørn differs a little from his main band Masterplan. On his solo album Lande is presenting heavy metal with power and melody, but isn't as heavy as on the Masterplan album. It's more in the vain of Rainbow, Dio and Black Sabbath at the Tony Martin era. For the recordings he got a helping hand from Pagan's Mind members Jørn Viggo Løfstad (guitar), Stian Kristoffersen (drums) and HammerFall's Magnus Rosen. But the best musicians can't make bad song sounding good... In this case the musicians had 'just' to play this high class compositions. On Out To Every Nation Jørn Lande shows that he is a good songwriter and a brilliant singer. Listen to the title track, it's full of power, catchy and enchanting. Another potential club hit is Young Forever. Heavy guitar riffing is what you get here. More metal then e.g. the title track and so closer to the sound of Masterplan. But during the chorus he slows down a little, a great hook and a bluesy touch. An earcatcher is Living With Wolves. With Behind The Clown he recorded a beautiful ballad. To get an idea what this is about listen to: Out To Every Nation, Young Forever and Behind The Clown.



So if you are into the mentioned bands, you should check this one out. I can also imagine that fans of Royal Hunt - with John West - and Pretty Maids will like this one.

 
 










Sandra Bucher
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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