:: Jorn - Lonely Are The Brave

Jorn

Keeping up with Jørn Lande releases is like trying to keep up with Glenn Hughes releases. In other words, just when you think you have everything, along comes something new that you didn’t have any idea existed, but inevitably must have just because his name is associated with it. Then again, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise. After all, the Norwegian vocalist has been gifted with a voice that is amazingly a cross between Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow/Black Sabbath/Dio) and David Coverdale (Deep Purple/Whitesnake), and is a songwriter that more than knows how to write a classic rock/metal tune that doesn’t resort to using clichés or feel like a rehash of others past glories. Outside his various guest appearances, Lande has returned again with his eighth solo studio effort under the name of Jorn in ‘Lonely Are The Brave’, which is the eagerly awaited follow up to 2007’s phenomenal double album release ‘Live In America!’. ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ is, as you would expect, pretty much Lande at his best. With a revamped line-up behind him, Lande has again produced an album full of nine classic rock/metal tunes, and some which could easily be said to be his strongest songs to date. The title track ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ is the first to open up the album, and one that gets the album off to a fantastic start. The first notable change is the album’s production values, with Tommy Hansen giving the band a clearer sound than Lande’s past works, but still retaining a raw and gritty feel. Song wise, there’s a distinct Coverdale/Whitesnake vibe in the song, which Lande more than makes his own. On the slower paced ‘Night City’, Lande finds an incredible balance between his Dio-like sound alongside his Coverdale sounding voice, while the anthem like ‘War Of The World’ and the faster paced ‘Shadow People’ could have easily been come from Black Sabbath/Heaven And Hell, barring the absence of Tony Iommi’s guitar tones. The darker and doom like ‘Soul Of The Wind’ is a befitting change of pace around the middle of the album, and one that echoes early era Black Sabbath with its heavy breakdown around the middle of the song, while the mid tempo ‘Man Of The Dark’, the anthem like rocker ‘Promises’, the Whitesnake influenced/raw edged ‘The Inner Road’ and the progressive epic ‘Hellfire’ ensure that the album never falls below par. ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ is a classic rock influenced album, but with a distinctly modern feel to it. If your classic rock collection falters after collecting everything from Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow, then Lande’s solo efforts are absolutely essential.