Tracks
01. The Showdown
02. Judgement Day
03. Never Again
04. Turn All Into Gold
05. Bloodlines
06. Copernicus
07. We Will Rise Again
08. The Guardian
09. Maya
10. The Artist
11. Eternity
12. Alias [bonus]

Band:
Jørn Lande - vocals
Russell Allen - vocals
Magnus Karlsson - guitars, bass, keys
Jaime Salazar - drums

Discography:
The Battle (2005)
The Revenge (2007)

Guests:

Info
Rodney Matthews (art)
Magnus Karlsson (prod)

Released 3/12-2010
Reviewed 9/12-2010

Links:
myspace
frontiers

Russell Allen and Jörn Lande, two of the major voices in the metal genre, and two very well known singers within the genre. I guess you might even say that they both have achieved something of a legend status within the metal genre. Allen who is the lead Singer of Symphony X which is one band I really enjoy especially their amazing V album, he has also guested Arjen Lucassen on the Star One projects both albums as well as the Live album. There of course he was part of some brilliant pieces of music. Lande was the singer of Masterplan in their amazing first two albums, I think the band died as he left and I have no idea what they do at all now, Lande is the singer of Ark, his own thing Jorn and so on. With this in mind they have a lot to live up to and at the same time have a lot of potential for making a brilliant album.

Musically this is far from as progressive as these singers’ band usually tend to be, it is more straightforward melodic fast power metal with distinct choruses and what feels like a clear focus on the vocal parts. There are twelve songs on this album and the main focus seem to be on the faster part even though there are some calmer parts that are not really that noticeable, you tend to feel that the album is fast all way through.

My general feeling is that this album is rather well produced with a clean and distinct sound which brings out the vocal skills of the two singers who collaborate in a good way on this album which is the third from this constellation, I have not heard any of the prior but is a fan of what Allen has done in Symphony X and Star One and what Lande has done mainly with Masterplan. The songs are easy to access with their distinct choruses and very melodic sound.

I find straightaway however, that this album has a problem in similitude, the songs are just too similar for it to work as a really good album. The songs are good throughout, they are just too alike and sort of melt together into one.

Underwhelming is a word I would use to describe this as it has two of the best singers out there, two guys with experience from making excellent music and being part of excellent records that makes something as ordinary as this can only be described as that really. I find myself wondering about some things with this album, one of them is why? Why do it? Why was not more care taken to give the songs more character? I feel that the biggest problem with this album is that it is hard to separate the songs from one another and that is not a good thing for me. Of the songs I find the title track to be one of the best, mainly because I can recall it, same goes for the video track Judgement Day.

I have listened to this album more than a dozen times and can still not pick out songs from it and that is a problem even though the songs are good the record is hampered by this. Maybe this music would be better if single songs were added to playlists, then I am sure all songs would work rather nice but as a whole it does not quite work as well, there is really not much to complain about but at the same time there is not that much to be ecstatic about either.

So in the end I will give you a tip: if you really want something with Russell Allen that is released in the latter part of 2010, buy the new Star One album, it is much, much, much better than this one.

HHHHHHH

Label - Frontier Records
Three similar bands - Masterplan/Jorn/Symphony X
Rating: HHHHHHH
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm