Music - Allen Lande - The Battle - 2005

Magnus Karlsson was the instigator that put the cd together. Not content with only creating one metal monster last year with Tony Harnel from TNT in the form of Starbreaker he decided to better it, play all the instruments apart from drums and involve two of the finest metal vocalists in the world. He also shreds and uses his guitars like nobody has since the mid 1990s and is so flewid.

A colossal metal album is how I’d describe this. The disc is in the melodic metal camp but has elements of keyboard sprinkled through underpinning the distorted guitars. The songs are great possibly a little samey at times but with quality this high who cares? The chief attraction is Jorn Lande and his vocals are at once powerful and tender when necessary, this man really is the metal version of David Coverdale for this generation of metal heads. One must not forget Russell Allens contribution as he is a phenomenal vocalist in his own way and his band Symphony X. have followed the lead of Dream Theater and Faiths Warning and produce a good version of prog metal themed around legends ETC. This album is more mainstream with hooks a plenty and just amazing to blast on a good stereo system.

The moody introduction to the title track sets a dark tone but suddenly bursts in to life with swirling guitars and a Celtic influenced wall of drums and keyboards. The track relates to the end of a relationship and just smokes.

Russell Allen takes the mike for the Hunters night but this isn’t one of the strongest tracks though by any standard its good and a speed up in tempo.

Search for a miracle sees the two trading vocal lines and is a standout in my books. The emotion Lande puts in to this takes the track to the next level, a perfect euro metal song that his former band Masterplan would have loved to have recorded I’m sure..

We have one or two ballads on this disc and reach a little longer is the first. Typical piano intro but rather dark, a song of hope and resolution, rather uplifting actually.

We then speed up with a few rockers most notable to me at least is truth of our time which after a quick piano intro hits with a memorable hook and the two trading vocal lines once more like lives depended on it.

Ask you anyway is Russell Allen’s time to shine and this he does admirably. This mid phased stompper with its bombastic intro could be my favourite track on the album. What a dark song about someone in torment but with that glimmer of hope that lifts the listener up. I think most people have been in a relationship like this or is it just my past captured in song form? Things are much better now though!!

The album ends on a ballad, ‘the forgotten ones’ I played this rather a lot over the summer and love the track which could be about anything from refugees to people who are depressed and can’t cry for help. It could also be a little religious but I can handle that such is the quality of this tune.

The cd appears to have a theme of conflict and struggle about it but once the last notes fade its so easy to hit play once more and jump back on the emotional rolacoster that the two have created. The lyrics can be a little cheesey at times but I simply don’t care a jot. This is one beautifully produced and recorded disc and Mr Carlson deserves much credit for pulling this off. It should be noted that its very different to Starbreaker with les of a modern rock sound.