dtguitarfan
I've struggled with how to write this review as I have some mixed feelings on this album. Jorn Lande is one my favorite singers, and I feel his voice embodies Metal perfectly. He has this tough, raspy quality to his voice that sounds like pure testosterone - a voice that fans of classic metal singers like Ronny James Dio can appreciate. And he is no stranger to the scene - this is his 7th studio album with his solo act, but if you take the time to look him up you'll find he has sung with countless bands and projects over the years. And with his solo band, Jorn has always surrounded himself with excellent musicians. And he somehow has this quality to his music that feels classic, yet groundbreaking at the same time. Yet I struggled with how exactly to write this review, mainly because as I listened to this album I felt that it would not be the first album I'd recommend to someone who's never heard any of his music. Take the title track for example: it screams cliche. Now after a few listens I decided this is not such a bad thing - it's kind of like a Steven Seagal movie. Is it full of cliche? Yes, but this is often what people love about his movies. But I still felt that overall, this was not Jorn's greatest work. To me, the high point in this album was the track "The World I See." This was one of those tracks where I heard what I feel Jorn is all about - classic metal sound with well developed song structures played by polished, accomplished musicians. I was even quite surprised with this song as it starts with Jorn singing very gently (a little unusual for him), and almost has a Bryan Adams feel to it. But then it builds to the classic, dark-toned heavy metal sound you'd expect and has some killer guitar work within. This is what I've come to love in Jorn's work - a story-telling aspect to a classic metal sound. So, once again, I don't think this is his best album, but if you're a Jorn fan I'm sure you'll find songs you love. And if you're not already a Jorn fan, I'd suggest checking out "Lonely Are the Brave" first.