lukretion Four years after the release of his debut solo album, Royal Hunt’s mastermind André Andersen returned to the studio to record his sophomore LP, Black on Black, released in 2002 via Frontiers Records. As on the debut LP, Mr Andersen here handles guitars, bass and all keyboards, while the rest of the instruments are played by Kaj Laege (drums), Rene Rieland (guitar solos),and Soma Allpass (cello), with Ian Parry on lead vocals and Kenny Lübcke on backing vocals.

The line-up makes it immediately clear that Black on Black is a rather different beast compared to Andersen’s debut album. That album was recorded with the help of many Royal Hunt musicians and indeed ended up sounding a lot like a standard Royal Hunt release. On Black on Black, backing vocalist Kenny Lübcke is the only guest musician who has also played with Royal Hunt (and had also sung lead vocals on Andersen’s debut album). As a result, there is more distance between Andersen’s new LP and Royal Hunt’s albums. Probably the biggest and most noticeable difference is the voice of Ian Parry, which is quite diverse compared to the smooth voices that feature on many Royal Hunt’s albums. Parry’s voice is grittier and more aggressive, pushing the music into distinctively more metal territories compared to Royal Hunt’s body of work.

Indeed, on Black on Black Andersen brings in distinctive neoclassical metal influences compared to the hard rock / power / prog of his main band. The influences of bands like Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen’ Rising Force surface more than once on this LP, also thanks to the Dio-esque vocals of Ian Parry. The classical influences are also inevitably present, with Andersen’s keyboards weaving rich symphonic arrangements, while guitar, bass and drums play a sort of rhythmic counterpoint. But the level of metallic aggression is much higher compared to what Andersen has used us to with Royal Hunt, to the point that the keyboards occasionally slip in a background role, letting fast, neoclassical guitar riffs and Parry’s majestic voice take center stage. The songs are also leaner and more direct, which is reflected in their shorter duration compared to those included in the debut LP. In a way, a fitting description of Black on Black could be to say that this is what Yngwie Malmsteen might have recorded if he had played keyboards instead of guitars. Another fair comparison would be with Royal Hunt’s “The Mission”, which was released one year prior to this, and that also features a slightly heavier sound compared to the usual Royal Hunt sound.

Black on Black is in many respects a superior album compared to Andersen’s debut LP. The music sounds fresher and more exciting, almost to the point that one feels the musicians did have quite a bit of fun recording this. To be clear, nothing is particularly original here, as Rainbow’s shadow looms large on the nine compositions included on this record. But I appreciate Andersen’s attempt to challenge himself by writing and playing something slightly outside his comfort zone.

The album flows away pleasantly and is fairly consistent in the quality of its tracks. A few songs nevertheless stand out. “Coming Home” is a strong opener, epic and anthemic, it makes it immediately clear that it is no rehashed Royal Hunt material that we are being presented with here. The ballad “Desperate Times” is another favorite of mine, with a fantastic performance by Parry, well complemented by Lübcke’s trademark backing vocals. The use of the cello is also very apt here, adding further depth to an already dramatic and emotional piece. The other track that stands out for me is the album closer, “Piece of My Heart”. This is an atypical song, with Andersen playing Hammond and giving the track a slightly bluesy vibe, further accentuated by Parry’s graveling vocals. The rest of the album is also enjoyable. “Life” and “Black of Black” offer an interesting mix between Royal Hunt’s classic sound and the more metallic, Rainbowesque music presented elsewhere on this LP. Only “Tell Me Why”, “Sail Away” and the two instrumentals are perhaps a tad too predictable and run of the mill, but they are still passable (though, the clock watching starts pretty fast on the 6:16 minutes instrumental “Eclipse”).

Overall, Black on Black is a strong sophomore solo album for André Andersen. One of the gripes I had with his debut LP was that it sounded too close to Royal Hunt’s music. Black on Black corrects this, by veering towards a more metallic sound, influenced by Rainbow and the rest of the neoclassical metal tradition. The end result is an appreciable hybrid, which is fun to listen to and hits home with a couple of strong tracks and a generally inspired and well-arranged tracklist.