Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Jorn
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2013
Runtime: 50:49
Rating: 4/5
A review of the new album by Norway’s Jorn is really a rerun of what past reviews of this band’s releases have already said. And here it is: the eighth studio album from the outfit fronted by the otherwise excellent vocalist Jorn Lande. A true-believer hard rock album cut from the classic hard rock school of Dio, Black Sabbath (Dio/Martin era), Whitesnake and Rainbow too, is no news in the case of »Traveller« either. Jorn Lande keeps up his inspired obsession with the persona and work of Ronnie James Dio here as well. So, no hide-and-seek in the arrangements.
Jorn Lande is a guy who has, to this day, laid down his vocals, no joke, on over 40 studio releases. He’s well known to fans of the studio records of the Allen/Lande, Ayreon and Avantasia projects, and of the rock opera Nostradamus by Bulgarian guitar virtuoso Nikolo Kotzev. Jorn Lande’s voice is the »rock-solid« part of releases by excellent bands like Masterplan, Ark and Beyond Twilight, among others. And with the new album from his own band Jorn, Jorn Lande stays right where his vocal character reaches its greatest expressive range.
Given how tightly packed Jorn’s release schedule is, the only sensible comparison is between Jorn records themselves. They’re all weighed down by the work of rock pioneers. They’re all »black«. Some less, some more. The new album sounds harder than its predecessor »Bring the Heavy Rock to the Land« (2012), and it’s also considerably more varied, especially in the guitar soloing. It comes across as very direct and cocky in the shape of its main guitar phrases. That means the half-step phrasing of some of the key riffs, inspired by the pioneering creations of Tony Iommi, is nicely balanced with those figures that squeeze out the core of a melodic note. Jorn Lande brought two new musical buddies into his crew in the fall of 2012. They came over from the glam metal revivalists Wig Wam: bassist Bernt Jansen and guitarist Trond Holter. The chemistry between Lande and guitarist Trond Holter instantly sparked a real creative bond. As mentioned, the new album is a lot more direct than its predecessor »Bring the Heavy Rock to the Land« (2012), harder and blacker. In those traits it’s closer to older Jorn albums, like, say, »Lonely Are The Brave« (2009). At the same time, it keeps its flow (instantly catchy on the first listen) by combining well-defined verses and choruses. The songs once again carry a rapacious, atmospheric chorus crescendo in those trademark »Jorn Lande« melodies, for which the late vocal shaman Ronnie James Dio remains the holy teacher and guiding figure, in both persona and work.
Even though with every album and every passing year Jorn open the door a little wider to a credible succession to the studio work of Dio and the »Dio era« Black Sabbath, the otherwise fully polished look of both past albums and the new »Traveller« comes with the fact of being »cursed« by a generic template. That will put off anyone with an interest in Jorn who’s happy with the classic albums of the rock pioneers. Beyond that caveat, though, »Traveller« keeps a constant liveliness, generated by infectious riffs and a superior payoff of true hard rock rush, with surplus adrenaline in the blood. Songs like Carry The Black, with the scale of a mini epic, only stoke that liveliness further with their dynamic string of shifting moods. In its atmosphere, Carry the Black even recalls, at moments, the debut by Beyond Twilight, titled »The Devil’s Hall Of Fame« (2001). Besides it, the closing The Man Who Was King is also a song of similar mini-epic form. These two are the strongest compositions on the new Jorn album. We could also call them the pillars of the album. They’re the most representative of Jorn’s current creative chemistry. Among the songs that break away from the obligatory associations with Dio and »Dio era« Black Sabbath, »Traveller« also stands out with the »Arabesque«-drenched Monsoon.
So »Traveller« is a typical Jorn album. You get what you expect. Despite yet another proof of Jorn Lande’s continued obsession with rock pioneers as a creative inspiration, »Traveller« is a new high-quality Jorn album that doesn’t know what a clunker is. It’s an album that takes a carefully measured step into the waters of the musical directions Jorn Lande knows best and has long since proven he can navigate with ease.
Lineup
Jorn Lande – vocals
Trond Holter – guitar
Jimmy Iversen – guitar
Bernt Jansen – bass
Willy Bendiksen – drums
Production
Jorn Lande & Trond Holter
Tracklist
1. Overload
2. Cancer Demon
3. Traveller
4. Window Maker
5. Make Your Engine Scream
6. Legend Man
7. Carry the Black
8. Rev On
9. Monsoon
10. The Man Who Was King
