Where should I start when talking about singer extraordinaire Jorn Lande?

Well Lande started out with TNT guitarist Ronnie LeTekro on his Vagabond project back in the mid 90's but really began to make a name for himself with ex- Whitesnake members Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden in The Snakes project. Two albums resulted from this union – the aptly titled live record “ Live In Europe ” and the studio album “ Once Bitten ”. From there Lande went on to record in several other projects such as Ark , Millenium, Beyond Twilight and most currently Masterplan (w/ ex- Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow ). He also put in some guest appearances on the Nikolo Kotzev led Brazen Abbot album “ Guilty As Sin ” and the Kotzev concept album “ Nostradamus ”. In 2000, Frontiers Records released his first solo record “ Starfire ”. The album featured several covers such as Journey 's “ Edge Of The Blade ” and the Deep Purple classic “ Burn ” amongst others. The next Lande solo album “ Worldchanger ”, also on the Frontiers label, hit in 2001. This album is where I think Lande started to define his sound. The album was heavy, yet melodic, with outstanding production and topped off with his superb vocals.

Now after that brief history of Lande's career it brings us to his latest solo effort titled “ Out To Every Nation ”. This is, in my mind, his best solo album to date. The album follows along the same lines as his last album, “ Worldchanger ”, but has so much more to offer. The album starts with the crushing “ Young Forever ”, which starts out to rip your head off and then flows perfectly into a melodic chorus…a superb opening track if you ask me. Next up is the title track “ Out To Every Nation ”. It starts out with a bluesy tone and then kicks into high gear with the signature Lande vocal. It's a very melodic track that lyrically focuses on the plight of the world. This is a theme that Lande explores on many of his songs. The track “ Something Real ” is a somewhat mid-paced affair with some nice melodic guitar work from Jorn Viggo Lofstad. Next up is the track “ Living With Wolves ”. It starts out with a guitar riff very similar to something you would hear from Dream Theater but the song seriously grooves with Lande's passionate vocals. Other tracks like “ Vision Eyes ” and “ One Day We Will Put Out The Sun ” are highlighted with Lande's strong, melodic vocals. The ballad “ Behind The Clown ” is a great change of pace from the rest of this rocking album. Again, I think this track is a little Dream Theater-esque in sound. The only song on the album that I am not crazy about is “ Rock Spirit ”. It features some clichéd lyrics that I feel aren't up to the standard of the rest of the album. The album ends with the track “ When Angel Wings Were White ” and is a great closing track with some progressive elements mixed in along the way. This latest album by Jorn Lande comes highly recommended. It will please fans of heavy, melodic and progressive music all the same, so run to your favorite import music store and pick this one up!