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Frontiers Records
by Craig Hartranft, 05.27.2012
Following his tribute to his mentor, Ronnie James Dio, Jorn Lande returns with a new album of original material (and one cover) with Bring Heavy Rock to the Land. The title itself succinctly describes Jorn's passion and purpose.
Actually, two songs readily capture the character of this album, the title track and the closing number I Came To Rock. While the former describes Jorn's lifelong mission, it's also a bit deceiving. For my money, and to my ears, this is a heavy metal album. Certainly, Lande incorporates a rock groove, on A Thousand Cuts, Chains Around, or Ride to the Guns as just a few examples, but mostly this traditional heavy metal. Conversely, I Came to Rock is rather perplexing. It's got the groove, but it's likely the most subversive, if not sublime, of arrangements. It should kick some bigger ass, but something's missing. Nevertheless, it will grow on you. The only slip here might be the metal version of Christopher Cross' Ride Like the Wind, the classic soft rock hit from his 1979 debut album.
Jorn, with his consistently raspy, yet melodic, delivery has always been an acquired taste. But for the love of classic heavy rock or metal, he's hard to beat. Bring Heavy Rock to the Land is simply Jorn Lande being Jorn. Recommended.
Jorn, with his consistently raspy, yet melodic, delivery has always been an acquired taste. But for the love of classic heavy rock or metal, he's hard to beat. Bring Heavy Rock to the Land is simply Jorn Lande being Jorn.
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