Tag: jorn
0 The Golden Voice of Rock – JORN – is back with a new original album “Traveller” to be released in June on Frontiers
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of a brand new – all original – studio album JORN “Traveller” on June 11th in North America and June 14th in Europe.
Considered one of the greatest legends in rock, and by many as the best male rock singer of the millennium, Jorn Lande never seems to stop producing music, and is back with yet another slab of classic 1st division heavy rock. The brand new album “Traveller” is definitely a suitable title to fit this gifted and creative viking’s extreme productivity.
During his almost 30 year long career his albums have sold millions. He managed to release close to 40 albums with various bands/projects in the past decades, and “Traveller” is his 8th studio album under the Jorn banner. Some say he has passed his successors by his gift of being versatile, and ability to not get stuck in the political frames of the music business. A true independent “freebird” hammering his legacy in stone as he
goes, with a band of grounded and solid craftsmen to back up his hurricane force voice.
This album represents the first product of the pairing of Jorn Lande and the new JORN guitarist Trond Holter (Wig Wam, Dream Police). The result is eleven new songs encompassing a variety of moods and styles, with Lande’s voice shining through memorable anthems, backed by wonderful grooves and tightly-executed Classic and Melodic Heavy Metal. “This album has all the elements of the Jorn legacy,” says Lande. “It is heavy, but still very melodic and experimental, and it really rocks! As usual we haven’t spent much time analyzing the material before recording it, this is an album about life, doom and death reflecting on what I know and thoughts about what I don’t”.
Being one of the most productive artists of his time, Jorn makes sure that the fans won’t have to wait long for the rock!
“Traveller” includes the following tracks:
Overload; Cancer Demon; Traveller; Window Maker; Make Your Engine Scream; Legend Man; Carry The Black;
Rev On; Monsoon; The Man Who Was King
You can sample four songs from the new album following the link below:
1 JORN – Symphonic (2013)
Jorn Lande’s latest output Symphonic started as a spontaneous idea to hear how JORN songs sounded with a classical orchestra arrangement. Jorn Lande didn’t want this album to come across as a typical greatest hits album, so Symphonic features some deeper cuts from the JORN catalog. Sometimes spontaneous ideas are the best ones, as Symphonic shows just how powerful JORN’s metal music is. The orchestral arrangement on this album gives JORN’s songs a heavier feel than the original versions. I didn’t think the songs could be improved upon, but I stand corrected. I love this unique mix to JORN’s songs.
I liked the song choices Jorn made for Symphonic, and thought it was enhanced by the cover songs included in the track listing. There are two killer covers on this album, DIO’s “Rock and Roll Children” and Black Sabbath’s “The Mob Rules”. Both of these songs came out sounding cooler than ever.
Symphonic is a tremendous listen, and a true feast for the ears. Jorn Lande’s voice is the most powerful instrument on Symphonic, but his voice truly shines with this orchestral arrangement. I enjoyed Symphonic and I think you will too! Check it out!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- 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
JORN is:Â
Jorn Lande – vocals
Willy Bendiksen – drums
Nic Angileri – bass
Tore Moren – guitars
Jimmy Iversen – guitars
Â
Orchestral arrangements Lasse Jensen
4 JORN Goes “Symphonic” Offering His Fans A New Retrospective On His Career; Audio Samples Available!
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of a very special album from JORN entitled “Symphonic” on January 25th in Europe and January 22nd in North America.
“Symphonic” is not a proper new album, but rather a selection of tracks taken from JORN’s previous studio releases, which have been carefully selected by the Norwegian singer himself and painstakingly remixed in order to add a grandiose classical orchestra arrangement to the existing Hard Rock structure.
“I didn’t want to choose the most obvious Jorn songs, as I didn’t want this album to come out as a typical “best of” release”, explains the Norwegian singer. “Some songs that are not too typical in a Jorn context, were chosen simply because some great songs often tend to be forgotten and therefore deserve a second chance”.
Tracks like “I Came to Rock”, “Burn Your Flame” and “Behind the Clown” especially are presented in a very intriguing and different new dressing, which enhances the variety and depth of JORN’s classic songwriting and performance style. In Jorn’s words: “I Came To Rock, might now even remind the listener of a Broadway musical, not coming from a heavy rock band like Jorn. The new version of “Behind The Clown” shows how much as a young boy I have been fascinated by Kate Bush. “Burn your flame” instead came out really fresh and different, compared to the original version on Spirit Black from 2009.”
“Symphonic” also includes an unreleased track: a cover version of Dio’s “Rock n Roll Children”. “I hope you will enjoy the album and maybe you will even rediscover some songs you had forgotten…” concludes Jorn.
“Symphonic” track listing includes:
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.
The first single off the album “I Came to Rock” can be exclusively listened in streaming on the Frontiers Records webradio. Tune in at www.frontiers.it/webradio
0 JORN to release “Live in Black”: An Emotional Performance Recorded at the Sweden Rock Festival 2010.
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of JORN’s ultimate Live experience “Live in Black” a 2 CD / DVD recorded focusing on his original repertoire recorded live at the Sweden Rock Festival 201o on August 23rd 2011 in North America and August 26th in Europe.
2010 was a significant year in Jorn’s career. Besides releasing a tribute album to his hero Ronnie James Dio, Jorn was invited to perform, together with Glenn Hughes, with Heaven & Hell on their final concert, at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London.
 Just a few weeks earlier Jorn appeared at the Sweden Rock Festival, in Sölvesborg and blew the crowd of more than 25,000 fans away. “The special thing with “Live in Black” is that it captures a very rough, uncut and spontaneous moment in the bands history” tells Jorn Lande. “It was a hectic day with many interviews and several tv appearances and I also had to do a short speech and statement regarding the great Ronnie James Dio’s untimely passing a few weeks earlier. The whole festival became in the spirit of Ronnie, and it was very moving to see everyone there, including the artists honoring his memory” recalls the Norwegian singer.
A new original Jorn album is already in the works and scheduled for an early 2012 release, but till then Jorn fans can enjoy the pure and epic concert performance of “Live in Black“. You want Jorn and with ”Live In Black” they bring it to you: nothing compromised, modernized or fiddled with!
“Live in Black” will be exclusively released in a special luxury digipak 2CD / DVD only and will include: CD 1: Road of the Cross, Shadow People, Below, We Brought The Angels Down, Stormcrow, Spirit Black, The Inner Road, Man of the Dark. CD 2: Blacksong, Guitar Solo (Tore Moren), Tungur Knivur, Guitar Solo (Tor Erik Myhre), Rock and Roll Angel, Drum Solo, Soul of the Wind, Are You Ready, War of the World. DVD Contents: Road of the Cross, Shadow People, Below, We Brought The Angels Down, Stormcrow, Spirit Black, The Inner Road, Man of the Dark, Blacksong, Guitar Solo (Tore Moren), Tungur Knivur, Guitar Solo (Tor Erik Myhre), Rock and Roll Angel, Drum Solo, Soul of the Wind, Are You Ready, War of the World. Bonus Material: Song for Ronnie James (videoclip), Man of the Dark (videoclip).Â
DVD format: NTSC Region Free – Stereo mix 2.0 / 5.1 – Screen 16:9
Check out the trailer for Live in Black below!
7 JORN – Dio (2010)
When I first posted the press release about JORN’s new CD Dio, my first thought was, why on earth is JORN trying to cash in on Ronnie James Dio’s death. I thought it was out of character for him, and wondered what was up with that. Then shortly thereafter a video was released, and I knew immediately that this CD was in the works long before Ronnie’s death. Jorn Lande quickly released his own statement and all was well. New visitor’s to Hard Rock Hideout might not be familiar with the powerhouse vocalist Jorn Lande, and if you aren’t, you really ought to take a chance and explore some of JORN’s previous releases. He is a criminally under rated, monster talent that has not gotten the exposure that he has deserved.
I have always described Lande’s voice as a combination of Ronnie James Dio, and David Coverdale. I found it very fitting that he did a tribute to the singer that influenced him so greatly. Very few people could cover the mighty voice of Ronnie James Dio, and Jorn Lande does it with a lot of passion and dignity on this new CD Dio.
The first time I heard “Song For Ronnie James” it put a tear in my eye. It really hit home for me that Dio has passed on. It is a very fitting tribute to RJD. I thought it was cool that the band picked some of the lesser known tunes from Dio and included them here. “Invisible” is a song off of the ultimate DIO album, Holy Diver. Quite honestly, I always thought this song got lost behind the monster tracks “Rainbow in the Dark” and “Stand Up and Shout”. JORN’s version of this song is totally kick ass. “Shame on the Night” is another song from Holy Diver. JORN’s version could easily be released as a single in 2010.
I honestly believe Tore Moren could give Vivian Campbell a run for his money on “Stand Up and Shout” and “Don’t Talk to Strangers”. His guitar work is flawless on these songs. I actually got goose bumps off of “Don’t Talk To Strangers”. What an awesome cover!
“Lord of the Last Day” had me scrambling to find my Magica CD from DIO. I didn’t remember this song being THIS good. The original is great, as is this version.
JORN didn’t just cover the Dream Evil classic “Night People”, they turned the tempo up a notch, and possibly made it even heavier, and added some new guitar licks while doing so. Do I dare say this is better than the original?
JORN ‘s cover of “Lonely is the Word/Letters From Earth” was originally on the JORN cover CD, Unlocking the Past. You get two killer Black Sabbath tunes in one on this version. I loved this first time I heard it, and I still do.
Overall, JORN’s Dio is an incredible collection of covers that pays respect to the legend that is Ronnie James Dio. In my opinion, “Song for Ronnie James” is worth the price of admission by itself, but the cover versions on this album are equally fantastic. If you are a fan of Ronnie James Dio, you need to get this!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- 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
- Kill The King
- Straight Through The Heart (Live)
JORN is:
Jorn Lande: Lead Vocals
Willy Bendiksen: drums
Tore Moren: guitars
Jgor Gianola: guitars
Tor Erik Myhre: guitars
Nic Angileri: Bass
5 Frontiers Records to release “Dio”, JORN’s offer to the musical legacy of the great singer
The Norse God of Metal. The leader of the renaissance of classic Hard Rock on its highest level. One of the most prolific and sought-after singers of today, whose vocal talent has reserved him a place amongst the greatest giants in the history of Rock. This is Jorn Lande and now he offers his talents to honour the musical legacy of Ronnie James Dio, with his new album aptly entitled “Dio”, to be released on Frontiers Records on July 2nd in Europe and July 27th in the US.
Handpicking some lesser known tunes of the Dio era, along with some of the true classics, Jorn offers a fine collection of songs that present the music of the Man and the Artist, with a unique twist. In Jorn Lande’s own words: “Throughout the years I have had the privilege of  both meeting and working with many of the musicians that have inspired me on my musical journey. Ronnie James Dio has inspired me through decades, and this man’s influence continues to add colour to my creative spirit. Ever since the first time I heard his royal roar back in the 70’s, I have been fascinated by this extremely talented man’s creative force and dedication to music. His career has been going on for so long and includes so many great songs, that it was a challenge to decide which songs and what era to focus on. I ended up focusing on the DIO era”.
The album also includes an original song for which a videoclip, shot by Thomas Tjader (Pretty Maids, In Flames) was produced. Jorn says “I wrote ‘Song for Ronnie James’ as a tribute and a personal thanks to the man who has been my mentor for more than 35 years. This great man has affected my life and career in such a way that without his presence, I would not have become the artist I am today”.
The “Song for Ronnie James” videoclip can be watched here:
Either as front man in German metal act Masterplan, which has achieved great success around the world, or as guest in spectacular projects such as Tobias Sammet’s “Avantasia”, or in the Allen / Lande’s releases, Jorn Lande is today a trademark for quality Hard Rock music. “Dio” is the new chapter in Jorn’s history and a sincere and heartfelt “thank you” to a great and influential Artist.
“Dio” was mixed by Tommy Hansen, Jailhouse Studios, and the final tracklisting includes the following tracks: 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 (videoclip)
JORN
Jorn Lande: Lead Vocals
Willy Bendiksen: drums
Tore Moren: guitars
Jgor Gianola: guitars
Tor Erik Myhre: guitars
Nic Angileri: Bass
Weblinks: http://www.jornlande.com / www.myspace.com/realjorn / www.frontiers.it /Â www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords
4 JORN – Spirit Black (2009)
In my opinion, Jorn Lande is one of the best new metal vocalists to come along in quite some time. His releases rarely ever disappoint me, and the new CD, Spirit Black is no exception.
The opening cut and title track “Spirit Black” is the greatest song Ronnie James Dio never wrote. Jorn Lande shows off his awesome Dio like mimicry on this tune, and it is damn cool as a result! Lande’s long time axeman Tore Moren plays some wicked guitar on this song.
“Below” isn’t my favorite JORN track by any means, but this tune does a good job keeping the pace going. Tore Moren’s guitar work is the highlight on this one.
The ultra creepy intro on “Road of the Cross” almost made think this was a Black Sabbath tune. I love the chugging guitars on this track.
I found it ironic that Heaven & Hell has a song Rock and Roll Angel, and JORN has “Rock ‘N’ Roll Angel”. They are two completely different songs
but I have to give a point to JORN. JORN’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Angel” is clearly better. This JORN tune is a heavy yet melodic rocker that takes a couple of spins to fully absorb. Jon Berg makes a guest appearance and throws in some very cool guitar licks on this track.
“I Walk Alone” is a Tarja Turunen cover song. I haven’t heard the original song, but JORN’s version is pretty good. This song is a
little slower paced than the average JORN song, but Lande owns it vocally anyway.
My overall impression with Spirit Black is that it has stellar musicianship, and great vocals, but I am not so sure that the songs are all that memorable. It is a good disc, but not quite as good as some of JORN’s past releases. I like this CD well enough to replay it, and I wouldn’t turn it off if I heard it on the radio. I am a die-hard JORN fan though, so it might not have as much appeal to other folks. I would recommend giving the songs on JORN’s myspace a listen if you are on the fence.
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Spirit Black
2. Below
3. Road of the Cross
4. The Last Revolution
5. City Inbetween
6. Rock’n’Roll Angel
7. Burn Your Flame
8. World Gone Mad
9. I Walk Alone
Jorn Lande – lead vocals
Tore Moren – guitars
Sid Ringsby – bass
Jimmy Iversen – guitars
Willy Bendiksen – drums
Igor Gianola – guitars on “City Inbetween”, “I Walk Alone” and “The Sun Goes Down”
Espen Mjoen – bass on “City Inbetween” and “The Sun Goes Down”
Nic Angileri – bass on “I Walk Alone”
Jon Berg – additional guitars on “Rock’n’Roll Angel”
Tommy Hansen – additional keyboards
0 JORN’s Greatest Hits Coming in August
On August, 28, 2009 the best of album “Dukebox” of JORN will be in stores. The CD will contain many highlights of the former JORN albums and will be an item of interest for die hard fans and “newcomers” as well!
Here is the track listing:
Man Of The Dark
Starfire
Young Forever
Soul Of The Wind
Living With Wolfes
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
2 JORN to Release Spirit Black July 14th, Audio Samples Available
Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of JORN’s brand new studio album entitled “Spirit Black” on June 5th in Europe and July 14th in the USA.
Considered by many fans and critics as one of the finest voices in Hard Rock to arrive on the scene at the end of the 20th century, JORN is now ready to unleash upon the world yet another studio album entitled “Spirit Black”. “I have carried some of these ideas with me for quite some time” tells Lande, “Willy, Jimmy, Sid and myself have known each other since the 80’s, and some of the song ideas and demos from back then have now seen the light of day, and become an essential part of Spirit Black. When we were younger we usually never cared about what we did yesterday, only about the future, but the past can sometimes reveal hidden treasures and I discovered great potential in some of these song-ideas”. The result: “Spirit Black” is another slab of classic Hard Rock with 80’s Metal elements which will definitely please all those who loved his recent “Lonely Are The Brave”, released in June 2008.
A winning formula should not change, so Jorn has worked again with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark ensuring the right edge to the rich guitar and vocal sound that is now trademark to all Jorn releases. “The fans can expect a solid and defined record that will shake the classic metal world and hammer the future Jorn legacy in stone” says Jorn. “The sound of the album is like a crossover between “The Duke” and “Lonely Are The Brave”, and I feel that some of the songs on “Spirit Black” have the potential to become essential Hard Rock classics that will stand the test of time”.
orn Lande’s strong and diverse voice and solid songwriting skills have now become legendary in the Hard Rock world. In a career spanning over 30 albums releases and as frontman for Millennium, Ark and Masterplan, Jorn was recently featured on spectacular projects such as Tobias Sammet’s “Avantasia”, along with stars like Alice Cooper and Eric Singer (KISS), Rudolph Schenker (Scorpions), Bob Catley (Magnum) and in Arjen Lucassen’s recent concept album “Ayreon”.
“The musical style and direction is now more defined and less experimental. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel anymore, I just want to write good quality Hard Rock songs that people can relate to and identify with”, continues the Norwegian Viking, “As we entered into the new millennium, I realized and accepted that my strength as a singer was more classic rock oriented. If you buy a Jorn album today, you know what you will get. True classic Hard Rock music”.
Jorn is getting ready to tour the world at the end of summer 09 with his band formed by Jgor Gianola and Tore Moren on guitars, Nic Angileri on bass and Willy Bendiksen on drums.
“Spirit Black” final track listing includes:
Spirit Black, Below, Road of the Cross, The Last Revolution, City Inbetweeen, Rock And Roll Angel, Burn Your Flame, World Gone Mad, I Walk Alone, The Sun Goes Down (bonus track exclusively included in the first limited edition pressing in digipak)
And, as a perfect complement to the new release, Frontiers will finally give a domestic release in the USA to the JORN DVD “Live in America” on July14th, so far only available via import!
0 A Quick JORN Update!
JORN is working hard on the recording of the new studio album which he plans to entitled “Spirit Black”. Titles of some of the new songs include “Road Of the Cross”, “Black Heart” and “Rock’n Roll Angel”. Jorn states “People can expect a solid and defined album that will shake the classic metal world and hammer the future Jorn legacy in stone”! Frontiers plans to release the new album in June 2009.
13 Hard Rock Hideout’s Top 15 of 2008
As good as 2007 was for new releases, 2008 blew it away. At the beginning of the year, I don’t think anyone expected to have new releases by AC/DC, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses all in the same year.
This year Rocknrollcoastie joined the HRH team and I asked him to submit his picks for 2008 as well. This way you get a double dose of the The 15 Albums from Hard Rock Hideout.
The following are Rob Rockitt’s Top Picks for 2008!
15. Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
What’s this? Have I lost my mind? When Chinese Democracy came out, I expected Hell to Freeze over. Much like many of you, I didn’t expect this album to ever see the light of day, much less in 2008. I didn’t give this album the best review when it was released. After the first couple of listens, I didn’t like it very much. Lets face it, this more like the Axl Rose Project than a true Guns N’ Roses CD. There is no Slash, no Izzy, No Duff. The album has very few sounds that resemble the old band that once cranked out some awesome hard rock.
I didn’t give up on this album and kept it in my playlist. After a couple of weeks of repeat plays, I have warmed up to this disc. Sure it doesn’t sound like the old band, but there is some pretty good music to be found if you give this the proper chance.
14. Thunder – Bang!
When Rocknrollcoastie reviewed this CD earlier this year, I previewed all of the clips, then quickly purchased the CD. I have liked Thunder since their Backstreet Symphony CD, and this disc is on par with that one in my opinion. It is a great sounding bluesy hard rock disc Buy it!
13. Jaded Sun – Gypsy Trip
Ireland’s latest rock act delivers the goods with their excellent debut CD, Gypsy Trip. I have been playing this CD a lot as of late. I think you will be hearing a lot more about these guys in 2009.
12. Black Tide – Light From Above
Somebody must have forgotten to give the young men in Black Tide a calendar. These guys rock like is 1988. You have to love it when a new band can reproduce that classic 80’s metal sound. Light From Above is a great debut for these Florida rockers.
11. Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
I have never been a huge Shinedown fan, but this CD changed my mind. “The Sound of Madness” is the first Shinedown CD that I could listen to all the way through without wanting to skip a track or two. I like all of the songs on this disc. This is a very solid record, and one of 2008’s nice surprises.
10. JORN – Lonely Are the Brave
Jorn Lande has been bringing us great new hard rock every year for several years now. Whether it is a solo CD, or another project he is working on, you can always expect Jorn Lande to be fairly consistent. Lonely Are The Brave is a little darker than most JORN CD’s but is a very good disc. Take one listen to the songs “Night City”, “Shadow People” or the very Black Sabbath with Dio like tune, “Soul of the Wind”, and you are bound to love this disc.
9. Metallica – Death Magnetic
This album has divided fans with its sound, but I thought this was a pretty good disc from Metallica. Sure, this disc doesn’t live up to their classic thrash metal from the 80’s, but at least they gave it their best shot. They should take notes from Testament next time around.
8. Testament – The Formation of Damnation
In my opinion, Testament one upped Metallica for best Thrash album of 2008. Heavy and killer! No thrash metal fan should be without this.
7. Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles
With S.O.L.A. Motley Crue turned in their best album since Dr. Feelgood. This one is still in heavy rotation in my play list today.
6. Disturbed – Indestructible
From the opening air raid sirens of Indestructible, you can almost tell immediately that you are about to take in one excellent album. In my opinion, this is Disturbed’s best work ever. The songs on this disc have an excellent heavy groove, that will satisfy the majority of headbangers out there. There are a ton of awesome guitar licks on this disc by Disturbed axeman Dan Donegan. Disturbed even got nominated for a Grammy for their song, “Inside The Fire”. Don’t miss this!
5. Alice Cooper – Along Came A Spider
Alice Cooper is an artist that has always been hit or miss with me. When I first read about the new concept album, “Along Came A Spider”, I rolled my eyes and dismissed this disc as another Alice Cooper album that would not deliver. Boy was I wrong! “Along Came A Spider” is one of the better Alice Cooper releases. The story behind this disc is creepy and cool. Slash plays on a track, and this is probably the only place you will hear Ozzy Osbourne playing a harmonica. Cool stuff!
4. Black Stone Cherry – Folklore and Superstition
Black Stone Cherry has been one of my favorite newer hard rock acts, since 2006 or so. Folklore and Superstition wasn’t quite as heavy as their debut, but is still as solid as ever. “Blind Man”, “Soulcreek”, “Please Come In” and “The Bitter End” are as good as it comes.
3. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
David Coverdale nearly pulled an Axl Rose, by making us wait so long for this new disc. While Good To Be Bad isn’t as good as ’84’s “Slide It In”, or the fabled self titled album from 1987, it is a return to the sound that Whitesnake fans love, and easily one of the top discs of 2008. Doug Aldrich could be the best guitarist to take the stage with Coverdale since John Sykes. Don’t believe me? Give this one another listen!
2. AC/DC – Black Ice
I am sure a lot of folks will disagree with me, but I think “Black Ice” is the best new AC/DC CD since “The Razor’s Edge”. Some of the songs on this disc may go down as AC/DC classics.
1. Tesla – Forever More
Tesla is a band that rarely disappoints me. If you have ever seen my Last FM playlist, you know I play the hell out of this band. Tesla’s 2004 CD “Into The Now” was probably my least favorite out of all of Tesla’s releases. With that being said, it made Tesla’s CD Forever More sound that much better. I like every song on this disc, and I never grow tired of listening to it. This is easily one of the best discs that the band has releases to date. For my ears, it was the highlight of 2008!
RocknRoll Coastie’s Top 15 of 2008!
Man! What an amazing year both musically and personally. With releases from bands like Motley Crue, White Lion, Dokken, Alice Cooper, & Whitesnake, just to name a few, it felt more like 1988 than 2008. So much great music came out this year and it showed me more than any other year that hard rock is very much alive and well.
Personally it was a great year because I happened to not only stumble across HardRockHideout, which I happen to think is the best hard rock site on the internet. I harassed Rob Rockitt a few times and of all things he invited me to jump on this train that HardRockHideout has become and come along for the journey. Damn what a wild ride it has been so far not only have I made a good friend, I have been introduced to so much new music it is not even funny and let’s face it, it isn’t everyday a person pisses off a whole country but somehow I managed to do just that by giving a Hungarian band a bad review. As wild and crazy as it has been this year I have the feeling it is only going to get better.
When Rob asked me if I wanted to put together my top 15 albums I thought there is no way because there has been so much great music come out in the past year. Then I was faced with do I go with the popular choices loved by the masses or do I stick to my guns and go with the bands and albums that I loved? I decided to go with the bands and albums that I loved this year, I guess I should warn everyone not to expect a lot of big name bands on my list. NOBODY forced me to choose these albums, I chose them of my own free will so love’em or hate’em here they are:
15. The Wildhearts – Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before Vol 1
Yeah I know it is a covers album which has almost become a cliche in itself. But this isn’t your everyday run of the mill covers album with songs from Warren Zevon to the Toadies to Fugazi it is a pretty eclectic choice of songs here. To be honest the Wildhearts are probably one of the few bands that could get me to listen to the 90’s alternative music on here.
14. Theory of a Deadman – Scars & Souvenirs
I pretty much spent most of the summer cranking the third release from this Canadian band. Finally out of the shadow of Nickelback the guys really stepped out on their own with Bad Girlfriend, I Hate My Life, & Little Smirk just to name a few.
13. From The Inside – Visions
The second release from Danny Vaughn’s Journey inspired project. Tons of great music here including Light Years, Making Waves, Listen To Your Heart, and 21st Century.
12. Big Cock – Motherload
Taking sexual innuedos to a new level Robert Mason and the guys 3rd release simply rocks. I wish these guys would take themselves seriously and go on tour I could guarantee they would be one of the best shows out there. If you haven’t heard Breaking My Balls, Bump and Grind, or M.I.L.F. you are missing out.
11. Hinder – Take It To The Limit
I can see most people rolling their eyes at this pick and to be honest when I heard Hinder had a new album coming out I wasn’t expecting much. But the guys put out an album filled with good time party anthems and let’s be honest it is going to be bands like Hinder, Buckcherry, and Nickelback that are going to keep straight up rock in the limelight in the 21st century. Besides what man can resist a video filled with hot Playboy cybergirls??
10. Talon – Fallen Angels
This California band came out of nowhere and completely blew me away. Melodic rock at it’s finest, Chandler Mogel is a monster singer with a great voice and Jim Kee is a phenomenal guitarist. Burn, Baby Jane, What About Me, and Always Be My Baby are all great songs.
9. 7th Heaven – U.S.A-U.K.
This is another band that came from out of nowhere and blew me away. From what I understand these Chicago natives have been around for a while but replaced their former singer with Kevin Semple before recording this album and he is an awesome singer. If you are a fan of “Hysteria” era Def Leppard you have to get this album you would be hard pressed to tell the bands apart if you didn’t know the songs.
8. Marcello/Vestry – Self Titled
Another slab of melodic rock, this time it comes from Danger Danger axeman Rob Marcello and vocalist Frank Vestry, with a little help from Danger Danger’s Bruno Ravel who played bass and produced the record. Great catchy sing along songs like Fireworks, All I Wanna Do Is U, and Gone fill this record. It is exactly what you would expect from members of Danger Danger and I for one am not complaining at all.
7. House of Lords – Come To My Kingdom
After the fiasco that was the Power & the Myth, James Christian started pretty much from scratch with House of Lords and released World Upside Down in 06. In ’08 the band came back even stronger with Come To My Kingdom dare I say the best HoL album to date. James’ voice still sounds great and Jimi Bell, B.J. Zampa, and Matt McKenna have made the band even stronger. I don’t think there is a weak song on this album.
5. Extreme – Saudades de Rock –
One of the first albums I reviewed for HRH. 13 years is a long time to wait between albums but honestly I think it was a good thing for the guys in Extreme. They came back stronger than ever with some strong kick ass songs and the addition of Kevin Figueiredo was an awesome decision. I liked this album when it was released but the more I listened to it the more I loved it.
5. Tesla – Forever More
Four years between new albums also did Tesla a world of good. Forever More is head and shoulders above 04’s Into The Now and like Extreme the addition of guitarist Dave Rude did wonders for the band. I Wanna Live, Just In Case, All of Me, and Pvt Ledbetter are just a few of the stand out tracks on Forever More.
4. There is no number 4 because of a tie for third.
3. The Quireboys – Homewreckers & Heartbreakers (Tie)
One of my all time favorite bands returned in ’08 with a new album their first in 4 years and all I can say is Wow! Homewreckers & Heartbreakers is the best Quireboys album since A Bit of What You Fancy. Bluesy Faces inspired rock at it very best, Spike has never sounded better than he does on this album. Mona Lisa Smiled, I Love This Dirty Town, Louder, and One For The Road are a few of the highlights on this album. In case you didn’t know Spike also released a great solo album titled So Called Friends around the same time definitely worth checking out.
3. Badmouth – S/T (Tie)
If I had a song of the year hands down it would be Rivethead by these Swedish ass kickers. Just that one song makes Badmouth’s debut worth the money but on top of Rivethead this album is filled with straight up rock n roll anthems like Pedal to the Metal, Kick It Up, and Cocaine Girl. Throw in a couple of songs like Last Train and Take Your Toothbrush With You that remind me of one of my favorite bands Backyard Babies you have a can’t miss album.
2. Backyard Babies – S/T
This album was my choice for my number 1 for the longest time but it was dethroned when the band at number 1 now released their new album. But this album from Sweden’s finest has everything a great rock record should great sing a long in your face songs, great solos, a hell of a lot of attitude. Degenerated, Come Undone, Nomadic, Abandon, and Back on the Juice are just a few of the ass kickings you have in store when listening to this album.
1. D-A-D (Disneyland After Dark) – Monster Philosophy
Is it just me or did Scandinavian bands kick a lot of rock n roll ass this year? Another of my all time favorite bands and I know there may be only one person in the states that agrees with me here but hands down Monster Philosophy is the best album of the year. 22 years and 10 studio albums and still most rock fans in America have no clue who D-A-D are. In one word LEGENDS, this album is filled not only with great songs but great vocals from Jesper Binzer and the sounds Jacob “Cobber” Binzer gets from his guitar are unbelievable. I can’t forget Stig Pedersn on bass or drums by Laust Sonne. While there are albums that may have three great songs and the rest of the album are good songs, on Monster Philosophy there are 13 great songs and each one sounds completely different from the others. Maybe some person at an American record company will pull their head out of the sand and sign D-A-D and get their albums released and re-released here in the states but if they don’t I will keep paying the import price because every one of their albums are worth the money.
I hope you enjoyed our top picks for 2008. If you would like to see what other hard rock and metal writers have picked as their top albums of 2008, check out the following links below:
Heavy Metal Addiction — http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/
Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Rock And Roll and Meandering Nonsense — http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/
All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Metal Excess — http://metalexcess.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/
Rock Of Ages — http://rockofages.wordpress.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
The Metal Minute — http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/
1 New JORN DVD Live in America in January!!
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of the long awaited JORN DVD “Live In America” on January 23rd 2009.
“Live in America” was recorded live during JORN’s first ever concert in the USA, at the ProgPower VII Festival in Atlanta, where he performed as headliner of the day on September 16th 2006. The incredible set saw Jorn offer a wide selection of songs taken from his solo albums, collaborations and a mindblowing Whitesnake medley, who made him one of the most successful acts ever in the history of the festival.
Jorn Lande is one of nowadays vocal Rock gods: he has a vocal capability that is world class, distinctive, rich and spanning a large range. He cut his teeth with such internationally renowned acts as: MASTERPLAN, ARK, MILLENIUM, VAGABOND, THE SNAKES and many more. He has also established himself with his own band under the name “JORN”, releasing so far seven increasingly successful solo albums. “Live In America” is a visual testament to Jorn’s capabilities as an entertainer and to the incredible power and strength of his now legendary shows and a perfect complement of the CD release which came out in September 2007.
DVD Contents
Jorn Live at ProgPower VII Festival:
We Brought The Angels Down; Blacksong; Duke of Love; Are You Ready; Cold Sweat; Drum Solo; Out To Every Nation: Guitar Solo; Straight Through The Heart; Godless And Wicked; Soulburn; Devilbird; Perfect Strangers; Gonna Find The Sun; The Whitesnake Medley: Come on/Sweet Talker/Crying in the Rain/Here I Go Again/Give Me All Your Love
NTSC Region Free – 16:9 / Stereo Mix 2.0
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the most exciting shows and performers of nowadays Hard Rock scene!
0 New JORN Tour Dates
JORN have announced the following European tour dates in support of the recently released “Lonely Are The Brave” album.
JORN plus Special Guest Pure Inc.
12.11. GBR-Dudley – JB´s
13.11. IRE-Dublin – Button Factory
15.11. NED-Uden – De Pul
17.11. GER-Bochum – Matrix
18.11. GER-Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
19.11. SWI-Pratteln – Z7
20.11. ITA-Milan – Legend 54
22.11. ES-Durango (near Bilbao) – Plateruena
23.11. ES-Madrid – Ritmo & Compas
26.11. HUN-Budapest – Diesel Klub
27.11. CZE-Prague – Exit Chmelnice
28.11. CZE-Zlin – Hard Rock Cafe
29.11. tba
30.11. GER-Hamburg – Markthalle
2 Preview New Tracks By JORN!
Frontiers Records is proud to present the highly anticipated new studio album from JORN. After close to 30 album releases with various projects, working with some of the best musicians around, he is now ready to unleash upon the world yet another masterpiece under the JORN banner. “Lonely Are the Brave” is the title of the new masterpiece album and it is scheduled to be released on the 6th of June.
Once again, get ready for another unique and classic hard rock masterpiece from this productive and gifted Norwegian Viking. Jorn is one of our greatest Rock Giants: his strong and diverse voice and solid songwriting skills have become powerful trademarks in the Hard Rock world.
He is remembered for his role as front man in German metal act Masterplan, which has achieved great success around the world. Two albums and two maxi singles were released during this period; “Masterplan” and “Aeronautics”. Powerful solo albums such as “The Duke”, “The Gathering” and “Live in America” are just a few of this man’s releases during his almost 30-year old career.
This year Jorn is featured on spectacular projects like Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia, along with stars like Alice Cooper and Eric Singer (KISS), Rudolph Schenker (Scorpions), Bob Catley (Magnum) and will be touring the world with this project as well as with his own band JORN. He also participated on Arjen Lucassen’s recent concept album Ayreon.
“Lonely Are The Brave“, Jorn’s 5th solo album of original material, was recorded under the steady direction of Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, TNT) at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark. The JORN band consists of: drums: Willy Bendiksen, guitar: Tore Moren, guitar: Jørn Viggo Lofstad, bass: Sid Ringsby. With this line up you are guaranteed to get your adrenaline going with the riveting sound that has solid roots in classic hard rock/heavy metal music, such as Dio, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Whitesnake.
“Lonely Are The Brave” tracklisting includes:
Lonely Are The Brave; Night City; War Of The World; Shadow People; Soul of the Wind; Man of The Dark; Promises; The Inner Road; Hellfire; Stormbringer *; Like Stone In Water *
* Exclusively available on a Special limited edition in slipcase
Click on the highlighted tracks above to listen!
4 JORN – Lonely Are the Brave Artwork!

Pictured is the album artwork for Lonely Are The Brave, the new JORN album from vocalist Jorn Lande (ex-MASTERPLAN), due out through Italy’s Frontiers Records in early June.
The album’s title track is currently streaming at Jorn’s MySpace page.
Lonely Are The Brave was mixed at Tommy Hansen’s Jailhouse Studio in Denmark.
2 JORN’s ‘Unlocking The Past’ To Receive U.S. Release In March

Locomotive Records has set a March 4 U.S. release date for “Unlocking the Past” from JORN, the solo project of former MASTERPLAN vocalist Jorn Lande.”Unlocking the Past” includes some previously unreleased cover songs that were originally considered to be “leftovers” or additional bonus tracks for previous JORN albums. Many of them were never included on any official release. Some brand new covers were also recorded specifically for this CD. Dust has been brushed from these recordings; the remix of “Burn”, “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” (which originally appeared on JORN’s solo debut album “Starfire”), and the remastered version of “On and On” (which was supposed to appear on a MILLENIUM covers album a few years back), complete the track listing of the album.
You can hear JORN’s remake of Thin Lizzy’s Cold Sweat below:
13 Video Showdown #7 W.A.S.P. vs. JORN
While flipping through some CD’s in collection, I noticed a couple of covers that were kind of similar. The similar covers inspired this week’s video showdown.
The week pits W.A.S.P.’s Wild Child against the mighty voice of JORN Lande, and his video Living With Wolves!

W.A.S.P’s – Wild Child


4 JORN’s The Gathering gets U.S. Release
Locomotive Records has set a January 29 North American release date for “The Gathering” by former MASTERPLAN vocalist Jorn Lande (who is performing/recording under the name JORN).
Born in Norway in 1968, Jorn grew up grooving to ’70s rock. That particular aesthetic can be heard all over “The Gathering”.
As a much-respected singer/songwriter who has toured and recorded with numerous bands (his studio debut was in 1993 with VAGABOND), Jorn has been heard on over 20 projects, including many high-profile stints with such artists as Yngwie Malmsteen, Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden (WHITESNAKE), Joe Lynn Turner, keyboardist Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE), Uli Jon Roth (SCORPIONS) and Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X). Under the name JORN, he has released four solo albums.
“With ‘The Gathering’,” he says, “I am trying to give the fans the chance to check out more easily my work from before I joined MASTERPLAN: some songs that I believe stick out and deserve a second chance in history. Some tracks have been re-recorded from scratch, simply because I felt they would sound better with new arrangements and approach. Others have been remixed and this way given a face-lift due to the fact that the original recordings didn’t sound that great. All songs have been digitally remastered by my good friend Tommy Hansen and I hope that this album will please my old as well as my newer fans.”
“The Gathering” track listing:
01. Something Real
02. Gonna Find The Sun
03. Bridges Will Burn
04. Young Forever
05. Tungur Knivur
06. One Day We Will Put Out The Sun
07. Sunset Station
08. Hourglass
09. Gate Of Tears
10. House Of Cards
11. My Own Way
12. Worldchanger
13. Abyss Of Evil
14. Where The Winds Blow
15. Christine
16. Big
The CD was originally issued in Europe in January 2007 via Frontiers Records.
Lande recently spent time at Tommy Hansen‘s Jailhouse Studio in Denmark mixing his new solo album for a March 2008 release (to be made available under the JORN banner). “We are planning to come see many of you guys and gals around Europe next year — and hopefully other parts of the world as well,” states Lande.
As previously reported, Jorn Lande has been confirmed as one of the guests on “The Scarecrow”, the third installment of EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet‘s AVANTASIA solo project. The album was produced by Sascha Paeth, who also played the rhythm guitar on the CD. The drums were laid down by KISS/ALICE COOPER drummer Eric Singer and the bass was handled by Tobias himself.
3 JORN – Live in America (2007)
Hard Rock Hideout favorite Jorn Lande returns with, Live In America, his 4th release of 2007.
This CD was recorded live during Jorn’s first concert in the USA, at the ProgPower VII Festival in Atlanta, where he performed as headliner on September 16th, 2006.
For those of you that have never checked out Jorn Lande before, Live in America is as good of a place, as any to begin. This double CD set features the incredible vocals of Jorn Lande, and the amazing guitar work of Tore Moren and Jörn Viggo Lofstad (The tandem from the superb 2006 release The Duke) , and also Steinar Krokmo on bass and Willy Bendiksen on drums.
During this set, Jorn covers songs from his releases: The Duke, Unlocking the Past, Out To Every Nation, as well as songs that he did with Beyond Twighlight, and Masterplan plus covers of songs by Deep Purple, Dio, and Whitesnake.
The only downfall with this disc, is its length. The live tunes with solos only last 75 minutes, and with the vast amount of music Jorn has put out over the years, this set could have been well over 2 hours long. There are a couple of nice bonuses however.
There are three studio tracks, the 2007 version of Out to Every Nation, the Black Sabbath cover Lonely Is The Word/Letters From Earth and Sacrificial Feelings (which was only available previously as a bonus track.) This is nice bonus to a great disc.
The sound quality on Live on America is superb, and the music is excellent. One listen to this set and you will quickly realize the amazing musicians Jorn Lande has in his band. The excellent musicianship plus the amazing vocals of Jorn Lande makes this a live collection that should appeal to most 80’s hard rock fans. (Jorn Lande fans probably already own this). If you are a fan of live hard rock music, DO NOT MISS Live in America!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
CD1
1. We Brought The Angels Down
2. Blacksong
3. Duke Of Love
4. Are You Ready
5. Cold Sweat
6. Drum Solo
7. Out To Every Nation
8. Guitar Solo
9. Straight Through The Heart
CD 2
1. Godless And Wicked
2. Soulburn
3. Devilbird
4. Perfect Strangers
5. Gonna Find The Sun
6. Whitesnake Medley: Come On/Sweet Talker/Crying In The Rain/Here I Go Again/Give Me All Your Love
7. Out To Every Nation (2007 Version Studio Track)
8. Lonely Is The Word/Letters From Earth (Studio Track)
9. Sacrificial Feelings (Bonus Studio Track)
2 Allen/Lande – The Revenge (Release Year – 2007)
If you have ever visited the Hard Rock Hideout, you probably know that I am fan of Jorn Lande.
Jorn Lande returns with his third disc in 2007 alone. The Revenge is the second collaberation with singer Russell Allen from Symphony X, and guitarist Magnus Karlsson from Last Tribe.
The first disc, The Battle was fantastic, so all of the musicians involved would have to truly raise the bar to surpass that disc. I don’t think the Revenge surpasses The Battle, but it is pretty close to being equal to its predecessor.
Magnus Karlsson once again shows off his superb song writing skills. Without any question, I knew I would be listening to a superior vocal performance from Allen and Lande, and I was right. On six of the tracks both Allen and Lande share the vocals. The other six are split evenly between the two.
This disc starts off with an awesome track, Revenge. This song has a very cool groove with excellent keyboard melodies. Jorn Lande and Russell Allen both sound great. The keyboard parts on this song remind me of Whitesnake.
Obsessed is Russell Allen’s first solo track on this disc. Allen shows off his amazing voice on this heavy, melodic rocker. This is a damn good song.
Victory has a lighter feel to it at first with some lighter guitar picking, but then blasts off with some full out crunching metal. Lande’s powerful pipes shine through on this track. This is another cool song!
Master of Sorrow is Jorn’s first solo song on the disc. This is a balladesque song with lots of great piano and guitar work by Magnus Karlsson. This is one of my favorite songs off of the The Revenge. Jorn’s phenomenal voice shines here.
Will You Follow is Russell Allen’s 2nd solo track. This is a superb, high tempo rocker that sometimes ventures into Survivor like territory. Karlsson’s heavy guitars are a good match with Russell Allen’s voice. I enjoyed Karlsson’s guitar noodling on this song.
Just A Dream is another song with the dualing vocals of Allen and Lande. This was the first song that I couldn’t really get into. The music is good, but there are more progressive elements in this song, and it seems to lack the cohesiveness that the songs before it possess.
Her Spell is Jorn’s second solo track. I have listened to this song a few times now, and for whatever reason, I can’t get into this song. I can’t put my finger on it, but there are better songs on The Revenge than this one.
Gone Too Far is the third solo effort by Russell Allen, and probably his best. This is the type of song that will keep me coming back for more collaberations with Magnus Karlsson. This is about as good as melodic rock will ever get. Great Stuff!
Wake Up Call is a powerful rock anthem, that had me headbanging from the start.
Under The Waves is the final solo output from Jorn Lande. This song is much better than Her Spell, and a close second to Master of Sorrow. Jorn’s vocals are more low key on this song, but he still sounds very good.
Who Can You Trust is one of the heavier songs on The Revenge. This is another standout effort from Lande, Allen and Karlsson. If you don’t like this track on the first listen, your speakers must be broke.
When Time Doesn’t Heal should be essential listening to all hard rock fans. This track is an exceptional ballad, and a pretty impressive way to close out The Revenge.
Once again, Allen and Lande deliver again with another great melodic rock disc. This one is worthy pickup for any hard rock fans. You can check out more of Allen Lande’s music from Revenge at their myspace page here. The CD is available for purchase through CD Inzane and Impulse Music. You can also listen to two of the songs below!
The Revenge –
Master of Sorrow –
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. The Revenge
2. Obsessed
3. Victory
4. Master Of Sorrow
5. Will You Follow
6. Just A Dream
7. Her Spell
8. Gone Too Far
9. Wake Up Call
10. Under The Waves
11. Who Can You Trust
12. When Time Doesn’t Heal
5 JORN – Unlocking the Past (Release Year – 2007)
Typically, I do not like cover albums at all. When I first read that Jorn Lande was releasing an album full of covers, my initial reaction was, “Oh Hell, here we go again.” One look at the material that Jorn is covering on Unlocking the Past, and it has to whet the appetite of any fan of late 70’s classic Rock.
It took about 30 seconds of the MSG track On and On for me to know that this was going to be one killer disc. This track is easily as good, if not better than the original.
Two of the tracks here (Burn and The Day the Earth Caught Fire) were carried over from Jorn’s debut solo disc, Starfire. Both of those tracks were awesome the first time I heard them so their inclusion here is great, especially for those that do not already own the Starfire disc.
For those of you that still think Lande doesn’t sound like David Coverdale. Take one listen to the track Fool For your Loving. Jorn stays true to the original song, and sounds as good as Coverdale ever has.
Cold Sweat is one hell of a cool cover. Metalhead’s can rejoice that this track, while true to its original, is even heavier than than the Thin Lizzy version.
After the excellent double shot Lonely is the Word / Letters from Earth, Jorn Lande gets my vote if Black Sabbath decide to look for another new singer.
Feel Like Making Love is a nice cover with a solid vocal by Jorn.
Kill the King is damn near jaw dropping. This is great stuff, even for a cover!
Perfect Strangers is one of my favorite Deep Purple tracks, so it was important to me that this song if any was done properly. Not only was this well done, Jorn knocked this one out of the park with his spot on vocals!
I must admit that I wasn’t familar with the KISS song, Naked City. This is such a different sounding track, it almost didn’t fit in with all of the hard rock classics above, but Jorn is such an amazing vocalist, he made it work here.
Unlocking the Past is undoubtedly one of the best cover albums you will ever hear. This well produced disc handles the classic rock tracks with care, all featuring the superb vocals by Jorn Lande that we have all come to love. This is one of the best discs released in 2007 so far! You have to get this!
Enjoy the track Cold Sweat below!
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- On And On (MSG)
- Fool For Your Loving (Whitesnake
- Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy)
- Lonely is the Word/Letters From Earth (Black Sabbath)
- Burn (Deep Purple)
- Feel Like Making Love (Bad Company)
- Kill the King (Rainbow)
- Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple)
- Naked City (KISS)
- The Day the Earth Caught Fire (City Boy)
6 JORN – The Gathering (Release Year – 2007)
The last review from the final day of the 10 Days of Jorn, is the new disc JORN, The Gathering. This disc is sort of like a Greatest Hits CD, however some of the tracks have been remastered and reworked to sound better than the originals.
Something Real is a reworking of the Something Else track from Out to Every Nation. I noticed a difference in the guitars pretty quickly. I prefer this track over the original.
I haven’t heard the track Gonna Find the Sun from the Snakes prior to the Gathering. The steep prices on EBay have kept me away from this disc. Judging from this track, I may have to put this higher on my musical needs list.
Jorn beefed up the guitars on Bridges are Burning. This is superior to the Worldchanger version, which was an excellent song to begin with.
Young Forever is one of my favorite tracks off of Out To Every Nation. I missed the Jet taking off in this version, but the song sounds louder and heavier than the original.
One Day We Will Put Out the Sun is heavier than the version off of Out To Every Nation. I like this version better.
I haven’t heard the track Hourglass from Millenium prior to the Gathering. After hearing this, I ordered the Millenium CD. This is one killer song.
Gate of Tears is another track that has been juiced up. The guitars are a bit heavier than theStarfire version. The production is far better on this version.
House of Cards stays true to the Worldchanger version. Sometimes you can’t mess with perfection!
The chameleon like Jorn Lande breaks out his Steve Perry like voice on My Own Way from the 2005 disc, The Battle. This is great stuff!
Abyss of Evil is one of my favorite tracks from Starfire. The one thing I recall was how much the guitars sounded so much like Zakk Wylde. The guitars while heavy as hell here, are missing those Wylde like harmonics that I enjoyed from the original track. Aside from that, this track is still cool as hell, and easily the heaviest track on The Gathering.
Where the Winds Blow far exceeds the version from the Ark Self Titled disc. The production and sound on this version is huge compared to the original.
Christine and Big are true to the originals. I love both of those songs, and this is a great way to close out The Gathering.
Bottom-line, The Gathering is a perfect way for new fans to jump on board. Old fans that are looking for some tracks that they didn’t have or want upgrades of some of their favorites, can’t go wrong by picking this disc up! This is an all killer, no filler disc. Buy It!!
You can listen to the track Big here! Enjoy!!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Something Real (JORN – Out To Every Nation)
2. Gonna Find The Sun (The Snakes’s – Once Bitten)
3. Bridges Will Burn (JORN – Worldchanger)
4. Young Forever (JORN – Out To Every Nation)
5. Tungur Knivur (JORN – Worldchanger)
6. One Day We Will Put Out The Sun (JORN – Out To Every Nation)
7. Sunset Station (JORN – Worldchanger)
8. Hourglass (Millenium – Hourglass)
9. Gate Of Tears (JORN – Starfire)
10. House Of Cards (JORN – Worldchanger)
11. My Own Way (Allen/Lande – The Battle)
12. Worldchanger (JORN – Worldchanger)
13. Abyss Of Evil (JORN – Starfire)
14. Where The Winds Blow (Ark – S/T)
15. Christine (JORN – Worldchanger)
16. Big (JORN – Out To Every Nation* Bonus Track)
4 Allen/Lande – The Battle (Release Year – 2005)
The 9th Day of Jorn brings us to the dueling singers of Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jorn Lande. Last Tribers Magnus Karlsson handles the bass, guitar and keyboards, while his band mate, Jaime Salazar provides the drums.
One word describes The Battle, Brilliant! This CD is full of great melodic rock songs with excellent vocals by both Jorn Lande and Russell Allen.
Another Battle is a very melodic progressive rock anthem. This is the first track where you realize how much Russel Allen’s voice compliments Jorn Lande.
Magnus Karlsson starts the guitar riffs firing quickly on the hard yet melodic Hunter’s Night. Russell Allen handles the vocals on this track.
Wish For A Miracle starts out with a cool progressive heaviness that blends into a purely melodic rocker that is a pure joy to listen to.
Reach A Little Longer is a beautiful solo ballad by Jorn. Come Alive starts off with an awesome metal riff that would make Zakk Wylde proud, and settles into another exceptional melodic track.
Truth About Our Time is an uptempo rocker featuring both, Jorn and Russell on vocals. Jorn Lande sings solo and sounds a lot like Steve Perry on the superb track My Own Way Home. Not to be out done, Russell Allen takes over the lead vocals on the first-rate AOR track Ask You Anyway.
Silent Rage is infectious as hell and Where Have the Angels Goneis another great AOR song in the vein of Journey. Russell Allenshows his impressive range on Whitesnake like rocker, Universe of Light. Forgotten, Ones closes this disc with a pure AOR piano driven track with the excellent dueling vocals of Lande and Allen. What a fitting way to end this disc!
This amazing disc is for all hard rock, Symphony X, Jorn Lande, and Last Tribe fans. Fantatstic vocals, amazing guitar work, and well written melodic songs make The Battle one of the top discs of 2005. You need to buy this!
Here are a couple of track from the Battle. Enjoy!
Silent Rage
Where Have the Angels Gone
Wish For a Miracle
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Another Battle
- Hunter’s Night
- Wish For A Miracle
- Reach A Little Longer
- Come Alive
- Truth About Our Time
- My Own Way Home
- Ask You Anyway
- Silent Rage
- Where Have the Angels Gone
- Universe of Light
- Forgotten, Ones
3 JORN – Out to Every Nation (Release Year – 2004)
Day 7 of the 10 Days of Jorn, brings us to the third solo disc by Jorn Lande, Out to Every Nation.
This disc features a new lineup of musicians includingJorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan’s Mind) on Guitar, Magnus Rosen (Hammerfall) on Bass and Stian Kristoffersen (Pagan’s Mind) on Drums.
Out to Every Nation is not my favorite disc in my Jorn Lande collection. After the stellar release Worldchanger, this disc did not live up to my expectations. I kept looking for a track that jumped out at me like Christine or Sunset Station, and it just never materialized.
With that being said, this is still an above average disc, and an above average disc from Jorn is usually ten times better than anything else out there.
There are a few noteworthy moments on Out to Every Nation worth mentioning.
Young Forever is a scorching hot track to start this disc off with. The title track Out to Every Nation is another cool song in the vein of Whitensnake. Something Real features some excellent guitar work by Jorn Viggo.
Living With Wolves reminds me of a cross between DIO and Dream Theater which is very cool. The Jorn Viggo guitar solo on Vision Eyes is superb.
The Whitesnakish Rock Spirit and the awesome guitars on Through Day and Night are growing on me each time I hear them.
The Japanese bonus track Big is awesome! This track sounds like it was a left over from Worldchanger.
This is the type of disc that needs to grown on you with a few listens. It gets progressively better with each spin. Jorn Lande sounds great, as does the band backing him up. This is a disc that may get over looked over time, but there is enough decent material on Out to Every Nation making this a disc worth picking up. I recommend the Japanese version that comes with the bonus track and the video below!
Check out the video below for Living With Wolves!
Living With Wolves
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Young Forever
- Out To Every Nation
- Something Else
- Living With Wolves
- Vision Eyes
- One Day We Will Put Out the Sun
- Behind the Clown
- Rock Spirit
- Through Day and Night
- When Angel Wings Were White
- Big (Japanese Bonus Track)
Jorn is:
Jorn Lande – Vocals
Magnus RosĂ©n – Bass
Jörn Viggo Lofstad – Guitars
Stian Kristoffersen – Drums
Ronny Tegner – Keyboards
3 Brazen Abbot – Guilty As Sin (Release Year -2003)
Day 6 of the 10 Days of JORN brings us to the project of guitarist Nikolo Kotzev, Brazen Abbot.
Guilty as Sin features a triumvirate of singers including, Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Goran Edman (Street Talk, Yngwie Malmsteen) and Jorn Lande. Brazen Abbot also features current Europe bandmates Mic Michaeli on keyboards,John Leven on bass and Ian Haughland on drums.
Guilty as Sin blasts out of the gate with an awesome Rainbow like track sung by Joe Lynn Turner.
Eyes on the Horizon is the first Brazen Abbot track Jorn Lande has ever sung on, and it is a great one. This song has a sound similar to that of Deep Purple.
I’ll Be Free almost seems out of place after the first two power tracks. This is a slow ballad sung by Goran Edman. It is a descent song, but its placement here seems odd to me.
Slip Away is another great rocker sung by Joe Lynn Turner. Jorn Lande astonishes all with his powerful voice on Mr. Earthman. Goran Edman shows that he can rock hard too on the very cool Like Jonah.
Jorn Lande sounds just like David Coverdale on Bring the Colors Home. This low tempo track would not have sounded out of place on any of the last few Whitesnake albums. This song has hit written all over it!
Goran Edman takes over the microphone on Fool’s Confession. This is another cool track, that could have easily been a hit.
Its no surprise that Joe Lynn Turner sounds great on Supernatural. This is another track in the vein of Rainbow.
Eve is another slow paced number by Goran Edman. I didn’t care for this track too much. It is too light as compared to the rest of the tracks on this disc, and seems out of place.
After that last clunker Eve, Jorn sounds like he is shot out of a cannon on A Whole Lotta Woman. This is another excellent rocker in the vein of Whitesnake!
Guilty As Sin closes out this disc with another low to mid tempo rocker by Joe Lynn Turner. This is another superb track, and a great way to close out this disc.
Joe Lynn Turner and Jorn Landesound like they are in competition on this disc. They both sing their hearts out, and sound fantastic. The Goran Edman led tracks are not in the same ballpark as the JLT and JL tracks, and are the only weak point on Guity As Sin. Guitarist Nikolo Kotzev is obviously a very talented guitarist as his amazing fretwork can be heard all throughout this disc. The Europetrio of Michaeli, Leven and Haugland do an excellent job as well. This disc is essential for Turner and Lande fans. This may appeal to fans of Rainbow, Europe and Whitesnake as well.
You can check out three of the Jorn Lande tracks below! Enjoy!
Eyes on the Horizon
Mr.Earthman
A Whole Lotta Woman
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- One Life to Live
- Eyes on the Horizon
- I’ll Be Free
- Slip Away
- Mr. Earthman
- Like Jonah
- Bring the Colors Home
- Fools Confession
- Supernatural
- Eve
- A Whole Lotta Woman
- Guilty As Sin
5 JORN – Worldchanger
Day 4 of the 10 Days of JORN brings us to Jorn Lande’s 2nd disc as a solo artist, Worldchanger.
Worldchanger also features Tore Moren (Rain) on Guitars, Sid Ringsby (TNT) on Bass, and Jan Aksel “Hellhammer” (Mayhem) on Drums.
To me, Worldchanger is the finest piece of music Jorn Lande has ever recorded. This CD is one of my all time favorite discs and gets regular play to this day.
Worldchanger moves Jorn one step closer to mainstream acceptability while maintaining the heaviness and progressive feel that Jorn Lande has become known for. I don’t find it surprising at all that Jorn chose to re-release 6 of the tracks from Worldchanger on the January 2007 disc, The Gathering.
One word describes this disc, stellar!
I could give you a song by song breakdown of Worldchanger, but this is one instance where I will let the music speak for itself. I have included 3 videos from Worldchanger below. Go check them out, and then go buy this! You can thank me later! 🙂
This disc is essential for all hard rock and Jorn Lande Fans. It will appeal to most Whitesnake fans as well. This is the only disc that I have reviewed that has received a perfect score from me. Yes, it is that good!
Worldchanger
Bless the Child
House of Cards
Rating:Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Tungur Knivur
- Sunset Station
- Glow In the Dark
- House of Cards
- Bless the Child
- Captured
- Worldchanger
- Christine
- Bridges Will Burn
5 Ark – Burn the Sun (Release Year 2001)
Day 3 of the 10 Days of Jorn, brings the 2nd disc, Burn The Sun, by the progressive metal group, Ark.
Ark’s already amazing roster grew for their sophomore effort. The bass playing virtuoso Randy Coven (Holy Mother, Steve Vai, Blues Saraceno) and longtime Yngwie Malmsteen keyboardist Mats Olausson, joined guitarist Tore Ostby, drummer John Macaluso, and lead vocalist extraordinaire Jorn Lande .
Not only did the band lineup improve, so did the production on Burn the Sun. The muddy production that hurt the over all sound on the debut disc is gone. Former Victory guitar player Tommy Newton came in to produce this disc and did a hell of a job. The sound quality on Burn the Sun is nothing short of superb.
It seems that everything about Burn the Sun improved over the debut. This disc has better production, writing, and songs. Jorn Lande’s singing has improved over the first disc as well.
Heal the Waters is an amazing song to start this disc off with. Jorn Lande sings this song in a lower register, before breaking out in his powerful raspy goodness. It doesn’t take long for newcomers Randy Coven and Mats Olausson to bust out and show the power of this enhanced Ark lineup.
Everytime I listen to Torn I hear something different. The ghost like guitars of Tore Ostby swirls between your speakers. Randy Coven’s bass sounds amazing here.
Burn The Sun is a very cool track. Jorn sings in a lower register on this track. When Coven’s heavy bass matches Jorn’s lower range, this track takes on a Black Sabbath like feel to it. Nonetheless, this track could have been huge in the U.S., had any radio stations picked up on it.
Jorn shows off his impressive range on Resurrection. This song has a bunch of cool tempo changes, and Tore really tears it up this track. Very cool!
Absolute Zero is kind of an odd track to me. The bass and drumming is fast but light, and Jorn’s vocals seem to be at a slower pace. For some reason, this doesn’t mix together well for me. When the song picks up, it sounds great, but in the slow places it is a little weak.
Tore Ostby breaks out the Spanish Guitar on Just A Little. Jorn sounds great on this song, but I couldn’t really get into it. Its just a little too jangly for my tastes.
Waking Hour shows the world why Jorn Lande has one of the most amazing voices in rock today. Musically, this track has a Rush like sound, before moving into a harder edged direction. Once the tempo shifts, Jorn brings down the house with his incredible vocal range.
The composition of Noose is amazing. The crushing bass on Noose sounds very much in the vein of Dream Theater. Jorn’s voice on Noose sways between David Coverdale and Robert Plant. Tore Ostby smokes on the guitar. Mats Olausson keyboards remind me of Yes on this track. This is a killer progressive track, but needs a couple of listens to be fully appreciated.
Feed The Fire has Jorn singing in a range and style that I don’t think he has ever covered anywhere else. He sounds a whole lot like Steve Perry from Journey, and just about hits the range of Sting on this track. This track is a radio worthy hit!
Jorn breaks out his best David Coverdale like voice on I Bleed. Tore Ostby sounds great on this track.
Missing You ventures back into the Pink Floyd like territory of Can’t Let Go from the Ark debut. This track clocks in at over 9 minutes in length. I can almost see the laser light show while listening to the howling guitars of Tore Ostby. This is a very moody song, but it has an excellent sound quality to it, and the guitars are pristine on the track.
The Japanese Bonus Track, Silent Is the Rain is a quiet track in comparision to the other 11 on Burn the Sun. Jorn sings in a low register on this track. It is an interesting listen, but it is not good enough to merit spending a bunch of extra cash to get it.
Burn the Sun is much better than the debut by Ark, but a couple of weaker songs in the middle of the disc keeps it from being perfect. This disc is essential to Jorn Lande fans. Progressive rock fans need to get this too!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Heal the Waters
- Torn
- Burn the Sun
- Resurrection
- Absolute Zero
- Just A Little
- Waking Hour
- Noose
- Feed the Fire
- I Bleed
- Missing You
- Silent is the Rain (Japanese Bonus Track)
4 JORN – Starfire (Release Year 2000)
Day 2 of the 10 days of Jorn introduces the debut of Jorn Lande as a solo artist.
With ten songs, five of which are cover songs, one might think Jorn has no song writing skills, or doesn’t have the talent to back up a solo career.
I would have to say wrong on both counts. Most of the covers songs on this discs, are not well known tracks by the average person. After hearing Jorn rearrange these tracks, one will forget that they are cover tunes very quickly. I bet many people will break out their discs by the original artists to discover Jorn’s versions far superior.
Starfire is a brilliantly produced CD, with a good mix of Metal and AOR tracks, all featuring the powerful vocals of Jorn.
How do the songs stack up? Fantastic. Jorn enlisted the help of some amazing, all-star caliber musicians on this disc. You can tell by the quality of each track, that he was trying to put out an excellent disc for his fans.
The title track, Starfire starts this disc off with pure AOR goodness. This track is melodic, yet it exudes such power. There are not enough tracks that come out today that sounds this good.
Edge of the Blade is a cover of the Journey track from the 1983 disc Frontiers. This song features the very Neal Schon like guitar work of Millenium’s Ralph Santolla. I think Jorn’s vocal is definite improvement over Steve Perry on this track.
Whether you remember, the Foreigner track Break it Up from the 1981 disc 4, you will recognize the music styling almost immediately. This is a very good cover by Jorn Lande featuring Millenium’s Shane French on guitar. This group has the Foreigner down to a science. (Now If Jorn would only sing, Dirty White Boy, that would be something extemely cool to hear.)
I did not realize The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a cover by City Boy. That band may have been before my time, but nonetheless I found this track very enjoyable. This is another pure AOR track featuring the flying fret work of TNT’s Ronni LĂ© Tekrø
Ark band mate Tore Ostby andJorn absolutely smoke on the Deep Purple cover Burn. This is one hell of a cover, that sounds as good, if not better than the original. You will hear this track again on a new cover album coming out in 2007. (Hint, Hint)
I had a hard time getting into End Come Easy, but I have listened to this multiple times and it has grown on me somewhat. This track has an experimental Led Zeppelin orAerosmith kind of feel to it. I haven’t been able to put my finger on it exactly. It has a Middle Eastern style about it.
The Jefferson Starship track, Just the Same from the 1979 release Freedom at Point Zero is well covered by Jorn and his all-star group featuringTore Ostby (Ark) on guitar, and TNT band members Jon Macaluso on drums and Dag Stokke on keyboards.This track features an awesome bass groove, and has melodic keyboards that are empowered by Jorn’s commanding vocals.
If Zakk Wylde were to play with Jorn Lande, it would sound just like Abyss of Evil. After the other AOR tracks on Starfire, Abyss of Evil kicks you in the head with its excellent 80’s style hard rock heaviness. Abyss of Evil is my favorite track on Starfire, and luckily this track will also show up on a new Jorn disc in 2007.
After the heaviness of the previous track, Forever Yoursalmost seems out of place. This is an acoustic driven number on which Jorn sounds a lot like Jeff Scott Soto. It is a beautiful song, but it seems out of place sandwiched between Abyss of Evil and the monster closing track Gate of Tears.
Jorn breaks out his best Ronnie James Dio voice for Gate of Tears. This monster of a track sounds like it could have been on a Dio era Black Sabbath disc. This is an awesome heavy track, and killer one to close out Starfire. I don’t find it surprising at all that this will be the 3rd track from Starfire to show up on The Gathering!
Bottomline, Starfire is an awesome disc, with a good mixtures of AOR, metal and Hard Rock. This disc gives you a good taste of the amazing talent of Jorn, and should be in everyone’s music collection!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Starfire
- Edge of the Blade
- Break It Up
- The Day the Earth Caught Fire
- Burn
- End Come Easy
- Just the Same
- Abyss of Evil
- Forever Yours
- Gate of Tears
Jorn is:
Jorn Lande – Vocals
Tore Ostby – Guitar, Bass
John Macaluso – Drums
Dag Stokke – Keyboards
Guest musicians
Ralph Santolla – Guitar
Ronni Le Tekrø – Guitar on track 4
Tore Moren – Guitar
Willy Bendiksen – Drums
Jon A. Narum – Drums, Guitar, Bass, Sampling, Melotrone
5 Ark – S/T (Release Year 1999)
Day 1 of the 10 days of Jorn starts with the self titled debut by the progressive metal band Ark. This is the disc where people really started noticing Jorn Lande. He did have prior releases with the Snakes, and Vagabond ( very hard to find discs, that get big dollars on EBay and GEMMto name a few), but this is the disc where Jorn started perfecting his craft. The end result is a classic progressive metal disc that is still a very good listening experience in 2007.
Ark also features the amazing playing of Tore Ostby (Conception) on guitars and progressive rhythm master John Macaluso(TNT and Yngwie Malmsteen) on drums.
Burning Downestablishes the tone and pace of this CD immediately. Jorn’s amazing voice takes hold of you quickly. The tempo changes and power of this track will kick you in the ass, and Tore Ostby’s flying fretwork will set your hair on fire.
Where the Winds Blowis a progressive masterpiece by any standards. This is one of the many tracks that Jorn chose to rework for his new release, the Gathering.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a track that is hard to describe. It has parts with Spanish guitar and jazz like piano. It is an interesting track but not my favorite by any means.
Singer’s at the World’s Dawnis a heavy prog rocker, with excellent guitars and Deep Purple like keyboards. Jorn really belts this song out. The power and raspiness of Lande’s voice on this track is amazing.
The bass drumming by John Macaluso on Mother Love will amaze you. The track is what I would consider another progressive masterpiece. There lots of timing changes, killer drumming, great keyboards, and more amazing fretwork by Tore Ostby.
Center Avenue was an odd track to me. It starts off sounding like a Dream Theater track, but the pacing of the music doesn’t seem to fit the vocals to me. It was the lone track on this disc, that for some reason did not really work well for me. The guitar parts are pretty cool, but lyrically it didn’t seem to fit together right.
Can’t Let Go on the other hand has oodles of redeeming qualities. This 9 plus minute track has a Pink Floyd like sound to it, and is an awesome track to end this disc with. The epic track needs to be heard to be appreciated.
This is a very solid debut Ark. The musicianship on these songs is superb. The production quality sounds a little muddy at times, but it does not distract from the power of the music. Jorn Lande’s powerhouse vocals are worth the price of admission. This is a disc that progressive rock and Jorn Lande fans can’t afford to miss.
Rating:Out of 10
The video below is Ark performing Burning Down at a rare U.S. appearance at the Prog Power U.S.A. festival in Atlanta, Georgia. The sound is kind of muddy on the video, but you will still be able to hear the power of Jorn Lande’s voice. This video doesn’t capture the power of the studio track, but its still worth watching.
Track Listing:
- Burning Down
- Where the Wind Blows
- Hunchback of Notre Dame
- Singer’s At the World’s Dawn
- Mother Love
- Center Avenue
- Can’t Let Go
0 10 Days of JORN
For the Next 10 Days I will be posting new reviews on releases from Jorn Lande’s Discography, leading up to the reviews of the hot new January releases, Unlocking the Past and the Gathering. I am going to cover a lot of different material, so stay tuned to the Hard Rock Hideout and check back daily for more reviews, videos and music worth listening to!
Day 1 has now been posted. Check out the review for Ark’s Self Titled Debut from 1999 here.
Day 2 has now been posted. Check out the review for Jorn’s debut as a solo artist, Starfire.
Day 3 has been posted. Check out the review for Ark’s 2nd disc, Burn the Sun!
Day 4 has now been posted. There are some awesome videos to go along with this next review. Be sure to check back and check out the review for JORN – Worldchanger
Day 5 is up! Check out the review for debut by Masterplan!
Day 6 is now up! Check out the review for Jorn’s work on the Brazen Abbot disc, Guilty As Sin.
Day 7 has been posted! Check out the review for the Junior Solo Effort by Jorn, Out To Every Nation
Day 8 is up! Check out the 2nd Amazing Disc by Masterplan – Aeronautics.
Day 9 is here! Check out the incredible release Allen / Lande – The Battle.
Tomorrow night is the Grand Finale to the 10 Days of Jorn!! Be Here for not one but two new Jorn Lande reviews! Until then, check out the top 26 songs by Jorn Lande on Last FM here.
Check out the Day 10 Reviews JORN – The Gathering and JORN – Unlocking the Past !
I hope you all enjoyed this segment! I hope to do more things like this in the future at the Hard Rock Hideout!