At first I wondered ‘who is Jorn’? But, like the teapot I am, I’d taken an age to look at the press release and then, after about ten years of deliberating, realized it was Jorn Lande from Allen/Lande ‘The Battle’ fame. Ok so I was a bit slow off the mark there but I’m happy to report that the great man has done it again with a superb album. Make that: another brilliant album as Allen/Lande’s ‘The Battle’ is one of the finest AOR albums of all time. 

Yet here Lande has gone for a more rocky approach. Gone is Magnus Karlsson (one of the finest guitarist’s around at the moment) and instead he’s dug up another gem in the form of Tore Moren. This is eighties melodic metal. Whitesnake circa 1987 album to be precise. And, oh, with a bit of Zak Wylde thrown in for good measure to make things sound more contemporary. 

I loved it from the very first listen. And like Lande’s recent output the style maybe something from the past but the performances and production are totally here and now. What you get is the best of both worlds as Jorn re-ignites the whole Coverdale ‘Baybeeee!, Baybeeeee!, Baybeeeee!!! genre, turns it on its head and with the aid of some full on metal guitar playing shows that this stuff is still hugely enjoyable. 

And that’s the point. Forget all the hype of some of these bands branded about in the press these days. Jorn Lande actually gets out there and produces high quality rock music and like his guitarist buddy Karlsson always does the biz. His vocals on ‘The Duke’ are superb and he must rate up there with the very best around at the moment.  

It all starts with ‘We brought the Angels Down’. Typical Lande chorus and more memorable than your own phone number. The title track sounds like something off Cinderella’s debut, only a million times more heavier. Other songs have a very heavy ‘Zak Wylde’ feel to them until Mr. Silky Vocals himself breezes in to add the necessary class. 

On ‘Burning Chains’ Lande sounds spookily like Coverdale and for a moment I had a nasty flashback to those hideous video’s of Dave and that dodgy boiler prancing around on the bonnet of his car. However this track is superb and bizarrely uplifting. Thin Lizzy’s ‘Are You Ready’ is another surprise and actually sounds quite good until he shouts: ‘Are you ready Willy?’ Final track ‘Starfire’ is a re-worked gem from another project and closes things nicely.   

Lyrically Lande won’t stretch your imagination too far on this release and his chest beating Coverdale-ism’s are the one thing that might put some off. ‘The Battle’ project was far more cerebral. Yet if you take this album at face value and don’t get too serious, and simply enjoy it for what it is, then ‘The Duke’ is a must have purchase for all lovers of eighties melodic metal. I’ve not heard this stuff done better and this will probably be in my top ten along with Ginger’s new release, come December. Its cheesy, but damn fine for all that.