JORN (Live)

Jørn Lande, Live at Blæst, Trondheim, Norway 2007

Legendary Norwegian Heavy Metal vocalist Jørn Lande has just finished his short Norwegian tour before he once again enters the studio to create yet another solo album. On this tour he only played small venues, and the gig in Trondheim was no exception. Somewhere between 250 and 300 headbangers had found their way to the small venue Blæst, and the place was chock-full. Though it’s a small venue, it’s very intimate and the band developed a really good connection with the audience.

Jorn has worked hard since he had his breakthrough in the mid-90’s, and he has made a name for himself both internationally and domestically by working with, among others, Vagabond (with Ronni Lè Tekrö from TNT), Yngwie Malmsteen, ARK, and Masterplan as well as making his own solo efforts. The musicians in his band are no lightweights either, and all together the boys have years of experience from the Rock/Metal scene.

The band entered the stage, hitting a couple of chords and making the crowd cheer for Jorn. Then Jorn entered and they started off with the Heavy opener from 2006’s The Duke: “We Brought The Angels Down.” The set list at this concert was dominated by songs from that album and next was “Blacksong” followed by the crowd-pleaser “Duke Of Love.” It was great to see and hear amazing guitar solos from Tore Moren (who should be dubbed Mr. Rock N’ Roll himself after this concert) and Progressive Metal God Jørn Viggo Lofstad (of Pagan’s Mind). The rhythm section was also brilliant with a rock steady bass and good ol’ Wild Willy Bendiksen beating the shit out of the drums. This was very obvious during the great cover versions of Thin Lizzy’s “Are You Ready?” and “Cold Sweat.” Though Jorn sounds nothing like Phil Lynott, he did worthy versions of the two songs with his David-Coverdale-times-two sounding voice.

The big surprise of the night was perhaps that they played “Abyss Of Evil” from Jorn’s first solo album Starfire (2000). This Hard Rocker did also appear on 2007’s The Gathering, a record consisting of re-recorded and remixed songs from his old albums. After a blast from the past it was time for a new star to shine. Guitarist Jørn Viggo Lofstad, who also plays guitar in the Norwegian Progressive Metal band Pagan’s Mind, was to please the crowd with a solo spot. He played an 80’s Heavy Metal inspired guitar solo with loads of squeals and taping in D #-minor, and the crowd loved it.

The guitar solo functioned as a great transition to the highlight of the night; “Stormcrow” (also from The Duke). “Stormcrow” is a great song, and the crowd was really into it. Then it was time for another solo spot. Jorn introduced his “… 200 year-old drummer” and Willy started to show off his drum skills. The drum solo wasn’t spectacular in any way, but rather a rehearsed routine that certainly showed his years of experience within the genre. Willy Bendiksen has been in the business since the late 70’s and knows how to handle the drums.

The band re-entered the stage for two more songs, and first was a great version of the title track from his 2004 release Out To Every Nation. This was actually the only song they played off that record, which is quite a shame. “Young Forever” would have been a killer this night, but you can never please them all. Last song of the set was another cover song. To cover a Dio song is a bold move, but Jorn sang “Straight Through The Heart” fearfully similar to the original and it became a worthy “end” to the set. The band left the stage only for a couple of minutes before coming back on and playing the mandatory extra songs. Another old Jorn song got its dust brushed off as they took on “Tungur Knivur” of 2001’s Worldchanger. Though it’s an old song, the crowd knew the words and sang along loudly. Jorn and the rest of the band ended the great Heavy Metal night with a Whitesnake medley and finally Deep Purple’s “Stormbringer.” It must be said about the latter one that Jorn does no shame to Coverdale as he probably would have out-staged him had he been there. It was a worthy end to an amazing concert.