Jorn - Starfire ~ Showcase Album December 2000

Jorn Lande's latest project can be summed up under the three B's... Big, Bold and Brilliant. "Starfire" is Lande's foray into the world of the solo artist. It's big production, bold cover songs and brilliant original material make it a treat for those who dabble in listening of the many types of metal music, which brings us to the album's main strength, and on the flipside, it's most obvious weakness...it's versatility. The songs come from all over the metal spectrum, enormous AOR songs, sweeping European flavored metal, a dash of the 1970s, mainly acoustic folk-like ballads, and crushing rushes of "Heaven and Hell"-era Black Sabbath-like goodness. For fans of just one of these hard rock niches, the varying sounds of "Starfire" could possibly be jarring to the senses, and at the very least unsettling. But where variety is concerned, Lande serves up his assorted styles and with his powerful vocal personality, strings them together and creates them for the sole purpose of shining with equal, yet each strangely different, beauty like the tiny bulbs on a string of multi coloured Christmas lights.

The main concern for this disc is consistancy. How could so many varying songs managed to be arranged in an order that encourages an easy flow of the music without being distrubing to hear these tunes shift from one style to another? Sure it's been done before, and successfully, just look at last year's love it or hate it (personally I loved it) release Reingold "Universe"? It was all over the place but played out like a piece of near perfection. Realistically, "Starfire"'s tracks are worlds away from one another, in extremes that "Universe" didn't even dare to reach but somehow Lande and company managed to find a happy medium and put this thing together in an order that seems as logical as it feels natural. Alot of credit has to be given to Jorn himself, he stretches the boundaries to the limit, but looking over his past efforts this comes as no surprise. This is the same man that has matched David Coverdale's voice to a 'T' with The Snakes (which is also demonstrated in a delicious 70s Coverdale-era cover version on this solo outing), blazed new experimental trails with ARK, done pure AOR with both Vagabond and more recently Millenium, and roared with the almost-forgotten power/progressive/black metal Norweigan band, Mundanus Imperium with their 1998 album "The Spectral Spheres Coronation". He can sound like Coverdale's long lost twin brother, do the pure power thing like Ronnie James Dio (which Mudanus Imp's "Stargazer" cover proved once and for all), croon like AOR-god Lou Gramm, and finally do a mixture between Gramm and Dio that comes out frighteningly like ex-Sabbath singer, Tony Martin. Throughout his solo disc, he gives the listener the rare opportunity to hear him moving smoothly amongst these various sounds, and generally gracing each with a terrific performance. A host of special guests also populate the album, including Ronnie Le Tekro (TNT), Ralph Santolla and Shane French (fellow Millenium members), Tore Ostby (Conception, ARK, D.C. Cooper) and Jon Macaluso (Yngwie, TNT).

Yes, it sounds like a recipe for success, but there's that hurdle alot of fans will have to leap over, that lies in the diversity of "Starfire"...but breaking this, so far vastly unappreciated gem, into individual pieces, the sheer first class musicianship and brilliant selection of songs, far outshines any misgivings that might be had based on the description of the disc itself.

1. "Starfire" - First track, an original song and a showcase piece if there ever was one. Contender for song of the year? No doubt. An atmospheric, moody AOR track with a positively soaring chorus that allows Lande to stretch his wings and test his abilities. Gorgeous otherworldly poetic lyrics, winding guitar that streams through the musical sky like the tail of a falling star, leaving the imprint of sparkles of stardust in its wake. The drumwork is both rolling and solidifying, unusual 70s feeling synthesizer effects add another layer of depth to this deepening title track with an elegantly subdued pacing (not counting the explosive choruses). Jorn is singing like Jorn, and no one else, this is his voice and his voice alone, and it leaves a lasting impression that acts as a reference for the rest of the album. "In the heat of desire, I am a starfire, falling down from the sky."
2. "Edge of the Blade" - The synthesizer is sharper at the beginning than on Journey's mostly forgotten track, even going so far as to sound more like the psychedelic 70s. The background vocals add the perfect touch the original lacked (there was none of this on the source material, Journey purists are probably moaning about blasphemy about now, but seriously this 'remake', 'cover', whatever you call it is an awesome take on what was a pretty packaged AOR track and Jorn ups it to the next level). This fills out what was to begin with a pretty average opening and cranking it to ten. That guitar riff that was pretty thick and upfront for Journey has also been energized beyond belief, sounding sinister and a sizeable slab of metal, electrifying as only axework can. Brace yourself though, it's not Steve Perry's high pitched warble that pours out of the speakers, it is David Coverdale! Singing Journey? What the hell? Oh no wrong again, it's Jorn Lande putting his hard as nails touch on this full fledged melodic rock track and turning it into a sweeping AOR masterpiece that's undeniably metal. The guitar solos by Neal Schon on J's "Frontiers" one was admittedly wonderful, and Millenium's Ralph Santolla does a fine job cranking out the licks while swirling synth effects dance in their own warped world as backdrop frills. Revel in the pure magic of this embellished tune with its spot on production while it lasts, AOR rarely gets as 'tough' or professional sounding as this.
3. "Break It Up" - This is a cover of Foreigner's little known diamond hidden in the innovative AOR album blockbuster simply entitled "4". Being a huge fan of the original song, it can safely be said here that Jorn does this 1981 classic justice in every sense of the word. He tackles it in the way the song would have been done, if the band had had access to our current technology when it was being recorded. Larger than life production and a performance that is dead on with Jorn not holding back on the Lou Gramm overtones even for a second, even though little bursts of Coverdale peep through the Gramm curtains now and then. Shane French's guitar is classy and wild, painting a little outside the lines but making a fantastic axe-squealing showing in a small space of time. Those who have never heard this song before will be blown away, while the ones familiar with this massive melodic rock track will be astounded at how wonderful it transfers over into the modern day. Timeless songs like this simply do not age, "Break It Up" is no exception.
4. "Forever Yours" - After a triple assault of AOR at its finest, it seems oddly suitable that this tune crops up. Laid back acoustic doodling with Jorn's chameleon-like voice showing yet another side. Is this unexpected or what? Not even a trace of Coverdale can be found. Beautiful for what it is, but very poppish. The vocal track gets a little too buried behind the acoustic guitar strummings for the chorus. Quaint and heartfelt, but seems to lack an emotional punch.
5. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" - A dazzlingly intense mixture of the overdramatics and vocal harmonies of Queen, the theatrics of Styx, the 'too hot to handle' guitar work of mid 70s UFO and the polished chorus lines and hip swinging/light head banging grooves of a 1979 Rainbow minus the growl of Graham Bonnet, with all the 70s vibes firmly intact. This is the kind of stuff alot of us lived and breathed during the early 80s. That riff that pulses the song on forward (and is replaced by an equally cool synth thing later on) just gets into the head and won't shake free. The innovator of machine gun riffing himself, Ronnie Le Tekro puts his emotional arpeggio bursts in the midst of the frenetic pacing, keeping up easily and letting it blast at full speed more than just for the token solo. Compared to the original though? Jorn doesn't hit those amazingly high falsetto notes the original singer screeched out, but his slightly processed vocal delivery sounds much more powerful, it blasts from the soul with conviction, making up for the lack of near-screeching. It's certainly frantic enough to make one believe the earth is truly catching fire! This was a great song to begin with (although repetitive in the chorus), and Lande and company's interpretation is mostly a juiced up copy of this 79 classic. Plus the guitar solo present here was synthesizer doodlings on City Boy's tune, not that it didn't have its share of guitar work also. Here's an information nugget... both City Boy's album (called "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" - no brainer there) and Foriegner "4" (both of which also Jorn covers songs from of course!) were produced by Mutt Lange.
6. "Burn" - This is where they just rip it up. Phenomenally close to the 1974 classic, you would easily swear that is David Coverdale on vocals in a remake, but no, it's Lande and he sounds absolutely fantastic, with the same kind of frenzy that drove the original. Another track that will blow many people away, and surely the most furious version of this thunderous slab of metallic goodness that has been done thus far, easily outshining Glenn Hughes' attempt a few years back. Axe-wise, it blazes with a fiery explosion, and there's even that overblown synthesizer solo thrown in for good measure, and performed finely. With the excellent guitarwork, Ritchie Blackmore is not even missed, as he is on many covers of this song that has been previously done (including Yngwie Malmsteen's live interpretation with Mike Vescera). And you thought Gotthard's lead singer had the market cornered on David Coverdale impressions!
7. "Gate of Tears" - Oh my goodness is this ever a killer track, and just makes me crave more of stuff like this, a crossing of Dio Sabbath and Martin's late 80s stint with the same band. The vocals shift between Dio (especially when he sings the words "Preacher man", the twist on 'man' is RJD!) and Coverdale, while his way of handling the word "fall" comes out as being reminiscent of Tony Martin! Straight up slick heavy metal hurled forward by the hard push of 'power metal'. Superb material here, especially for those like me who crave more slices of Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath ("Eternal Idol", "Headless Cross", "Tyr"..don't make me go on!)
8. "Just the Same" - A Jefferson Starship cover from 1979's Grace Slick-less "Freedom at Point Zero", but that doesn't mean the song is slickless, quite the contrary in fact, and this warped little lazily mid paced rockin tune has been transformed into a punchy barnstormer, but retaining the mystery and undercover throbbing vibes of the original, although the opening to Lande's interpretation is even more tripped out. Comfortably it sprawls out into a respectibly crunching tune with the sci-fi-ish synth slipping around in the background, giving it a decidedly 70s feeling. The beckoning lines delivered in the middle sees the Coverdale in Lande being released once again. Great vocal delivery all around however he doesn't really attempt to stay in that high range like Mickey Thomas did on the original. Tore Ostby just rips and tears it up with wild and free riffs, with a gorgeously solid tone that recalls his sound on D.C. Cooper's self titled solo release. Absolutely killer cover, and stands alone whether the listener is familiar with the source material or not, just the same as with Lande's other outstanding cover-versions.
9. "End Comes Easy" - Experimental and stranger than the music in a Middle Eastern snake charmer's tent, it's definitely not metal, nor electric, but rather lumbers around with the ghost of Crimson Glory's "Strange and Beautiful" hovering overhead. It kicks up some dust near the end using this weird acoustic Led Zeppelin-ish approach, but is just a bit too 'off the beaten' path. Still, it can be enjoyed for being a true celebration of musical influences, besides these kind of sounds mixed with metal have turned up some fantastic groundbreaking material over the years ("Gates of Babylon" by Rainbow anyone?) but it's raw form presented here takes a nice stretch of the imagination (or tolerance of artistry) to fully appreciate.
10. "Abyss of Evil" - Easiestly the heaviest thing showcased on "Starfire", the guitars are sonically thick and disturbing, a'la Black Sabbath "Dehumanizer" with a full throttled (and throated) vocal delivery to match. It builds like the best of Yngwie matched with Vescera ("The Seventh Sign"). Churning darkened moody metal, even purer in a heavier state than the more polished guitar festival of "Gate of Tears" and a fine way to end an exceptional solo outing.