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Jorn: Lonely are the brave
22/01/09 || HailandKill
Ladies and gentlemen, from the European Union’s most inebriated country… Jorn Lande.
Who?
It’s strange, considering how prolific Jorn is within his genre, that he doesn’t have a large following (compared to, say, power rockers Edguy). There was even this one Swedish metal webzine editor who had never heard of Jorn until HailandKill dropped a few recommendations. So perhaps today marks Jorn’s big break here at GD, unless a couple of Masterplan reviews happen to be collecting dust in the archives. (Would you mind checking, dear reader?)
To formalize the introductions (“GD, meet Jorn Lande. Jorn Lande, GD.”), let’s take a look at his discography: A guest role in the last Avantasia album; sharing lead vocals on those jaw dropping Allen/Lande records masterminded by fellow Swede Magnus Karlsson; singing for Masterplan; and the material at hand, “Lonely Are The Brave”, which is his what? Fifth? Solo album. Now that’s a music career. You’re probably thinking he’s a genius, but wait, scratch that thought because after weeks of careful listening to his newest, HailandKill has reached a spectacular conclusion: “Lonely Are The Brave” is 2008’s most shameless exercise in Dio-worship.
Dio-worship means the common denominator in all of the songs inside “Lonely Are The Brave” is their similarity to, well, Dio. It’s not just Jorn’s voice that’s guilty, but the ripping guitars smack of “Strange Highways” and the whole album’s melodiousness is a throwback to Dio’s stadium-filling heyday. There are songs here that won’t fare too badly next to re-mastered cuts from “The Last In Line”. However, beyond imitating a legend, “Lonely Are The Brave” still has a few redeeming values, being chock full of ripping solos, humongous riffs, earth-shaking classic rock percussion, and enough melody to fill ten lesser heavy metal releases.
As for the songs, the opening title track is a thinly veiled hippie anthem about running to the woods and not wearing cracker-jack clothes. Life affirming philosophy permeates “Inner road” (Sample: “You gotta find your hell to know your heaven.”) and since the album is devoid of syrupy power ballads, the roof falls down for “War of the world”. Other highlights are “Shadow people”, which makes you wanna jump on a horse and race along to its galloping brilliance and how “Like A Stone In Water” makes your speakers explode. (You should have noticed the subtle references to Manowar’s “Kings of metal” by now.) But despite the endless “Ohhhs” and “Yeaaahs” and “Oh Yeahhhs” uttered by Mr. Lande, considering the best 2008 had to offer and the next 12 months of new releases, is this the metal fix you need?
Not likely.
6 lonely brave men out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Frontiers Records
- Website: www.jornlande.com
- Band
- Jorn Lande: vocals
- Jorn Lofstad: guitars
- Tore Moren: guitars
- Morty Black: bass
- Willy Benediksson: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Lonely Are The Brave
- 02. Night City
- 03. War of the World
- 04. Shadow People
- 05. Soul of the Wind
- 06. Man of the Dark
- 07. Promises
- 08. Inner Road
- 09. Hellfire
- 10. Stormbringer
- 11. Like A Stone In Water
