JORN – The Gathering

Jørn Lande is one of the most hardworking singers in Norway nowadays. After releasing two separate albums, an essential album The Gathering and a cover album Unlocking The Past, Lande will tour Europe for a while, promoting these records. Despite his departure from Masterplan, he’s doing it very well on his own. The new releases are hard-kicking Metal albums that will gain Mr. Lande more fans, maybe younger fans as well. That is for certain!

Lande has had quite a successful career through the past fifteen years. He has been working with Masterplan, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bernie Marsden (ex-Whitesnake), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Rainbow, ex-Deep Purple, ex-Malmsteen), and many other artists. In-between all of this, he has released four solo records since 2000. Lande’s solo stuff has always been very Heavy Rock-inspired, except for the Out To Every Nation release, which contained a lot of Progressive Metal elements. His massive and majestic vocal approach has developed through years and Lande’s inspiration sources are none less than Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale, just to mention a few.

The Gathering is not an essential record, as you may know them. Some of the songs on this record are newly recorded versions of his old material, with much better arrangements and elements that fit the music much better. Others are just re-mixed songs of the past. On this record, you’re presented with songs from Lande’s ten-year-long career, starting from his debut album Starfire to the 2002 release Out To Every Nation. Lande looks upon his Starfire as a demo record. It was a certain “need” of his to re-record the best of those songs to give them the right sound, and the new sound for the songs turned out great on this release.

Another significant thing about this record is that guitarist Jörn Viggo Lofstad is playing on every song, even the songs he didn’t play on in the first place. His guitar work is just marvelous. This is what a heavy guitar should sound like: loud and screaming! He really knows how to treat his guitar, and his abilities are put together with the other guitarist Tore Moen. They are really gun powder together. Or, as Lande said “Now I got them both as a dream team. They’re such great guitarists, and together they create this massive, incredible sound. Lofstad is a more clean player, a perfectionist in a way, very structured as a player and Tore is more of a Rock ‘N’ Roller; a to the bones guitarist. More rough and brutal in his expression, but with a great attitude. Together they are just great and I wanted them to be together on some of these older songs.”

The kickass song “Young Forever” is just orgasmic, first released on Out To Every Nation. It opens with a massive and intense guitar riff, and though it doesn’t sound as fresh as the original, it’s really heavy and sounds good. Something to point the finger at is that the guitars sound like they’re recorded in a bag. A little more articulateness wouldn’t be something to despise. The guitar solo is maybe a little more aggressive on this one, but the chimerical tapping you’ll hear on the 2002 recording is cut to the advantage of a melodic guitar part. There’s two different-sounding, but very cool solos. This is one of the songs that are very outstanding on this record. It’s fast, heavy, and energetic with screaming guitars and pounding drums. It’s really good listening …

All in all, this is a piece of music that a Heavy Rock/Metal fan absolutely should check out. For those who believe this is just another regular essential album, it must be said once again that no songs are completely as they were in their original setting. Lande has really created an essential record that is interesting for the most diehard fan as well as people who don’t know the music.

Lineup

Vocals – Jørn Lande
Guitar – Tore Moren, Jörn Viggo Lofstad, Ralph Santolla, Magnus Karlsson
Bass – Morty Black, Sid Ringsby, Manfred Binder, Magnus Rosen
Drums – Stian L Kristoffersen, Willy Bendiksen, Oliver Hanson, Jaime Salazar
Keyboards – Don Airey

Tracklist

1. Something Real
2. Gonna Find The Sun
3. Bridges Will Burn
4. Young Forever
5. Tungur Knivur
6. One Day We Will Put Out The Sun
7. Sunset Station
8. Hourglass
9. 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