Jorn
Symphonic

February 2013
Released: 2013, Frontiers
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP

We are pretty big supporters of Jorn Lande here Metal-Rules.com. What more can we say that hasn't already been said about him? Prolific and talented Jorn has released 14 CD's in the past 13 years. Always busy, every year since 2006 he has had some sort of new product on the market. Hot on the heels of his latest studio album BRING HEAVY ROCK TO THE LAND, which only came out 7 months ago, Jorn is back with his new album called SYMPHONIC.



While not as common as one might think, in the past decade or so there have been a number if artists who have released orchestral interpretations of their older work. Still with Frontiers, Jorn delivers his usual high quality material, 14 tracks running over 70 minutes. He still has his mascot on the front cover, conducting an orchestra naturally. He also is still on his quest to be the reincarnation of Ronald James by including an unreleased song, yet another Dio cover tune in the form of 'Rock and Roll Children', which of course, he nails. The keyboard line of the original lends itself perfectly to symphonic reinterpretation.



Oddly enough I don't have an enormous amount to say about this. The symphonic versions of his 70's and 80's inspired classic Metal are spot on. They are not overbearing at all, just excellent reworkings of songs from his career and a trip of cover tunes from Masterplan, Black Sabbath (Dio era naturally) and the aforementioned Dio cut. The track list leans heavily on the last album with five songs getting the remake treatment and one cut from most of his other solo albums.



Jorn has done live albums, covers albums, a tribute album, and now a symphonic album. What's next the Jorn acoustic album? You know it is coming. SYMPHONIC is great for fans and a nice stopgap until his new full-length studio album comes out probably in 2014. Any year with a Jorn album is a good year!