It’s no secret that Norwegian metal vocalist Jorn Lande has a killer set of pipes. From his days in powerhouse bands like Masterplan and Ark to his latest solo effort, “Symphonic,” Jorn rocks the house. For this new album, Jorn has added an interesting spin to some of his prior recordings by adding classical orchestral arrangements. The songs were handpicked by Jorn with the orchestration in mind, giving the album an interesting mix of hits and lesser known material.
Kicking things off is “I Came To Rock” from last year’s Jorn record “Bring Heavy Rock to the Land.” The song is full and lush, a kind of heavy metal meets Broadway, Jorn style. The arrangements were done by Lasse Jensen and he did an outstanding job adding just the right amount of embellishment to the songs without overpowering them. Two covers are also included on the record. An outstanding version of Dio’s “Rock and Roll Children” and Black Sabbath’s “The Mob Rules” which surprisingly works very well with the orchestral additions. One of the best tracks in my opinion is “Black Morning” which is a bit of a different sound for Jorn. It has a southern rock feel to it and turns into a bluesy epic with this arrangement.
By combining Jorn’s signature vocals and screaming guitars with lush orchestral blends, “Symphonic” really gives us the best that music has to offer.
