Like all artists, the last couple of years has allowed artists the time to go within themselves and write material for release upon their release from covid internment. And for Jorn the result of that was this album titled “Over the Horizon Radar”.
From the outset, the vocals are as terrific as they have ever been. But they are also sitting in Jorn’s mid-range, not extending themselves to the horizon, as such, as they do on other albums.
The songs themselves are in a very mid-to-low tempo, many for the most part not getting much beyond second gear in regards to their speed. In many ways, this was the direction that one of Lande’s hero’s, Ronnie James Dio, went in his later years, and perhaps this was an inspiration to him in what he has achieved here. Now while there is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion it does make it difficult to have this album on too often. I started out by putting this album on in the car when I first started listening to it and it was always great, but four or five songs in i would begin to wonder how close to the end of the album I actually was. Too be fair that is an overstatement regarding all of the tracks here. The drive of the album also isn’t helped by the lack of an influence from the drums, as well as any superlative riffs from the guitars. But as with a lot of Jorn’s albums, it is about his vocals, and that doesn’t disappoint.
The opening does promise a lot, with the title track “Over the Horizon Radar” making its presence felt immediately, and followed by “Dead London”, where the tempo gets dialled right back but Jorn’s emotive vocals give the track an ominous feel. This tempo then remains into “My Rock and Roll” and “One Man War”, two songs that to me always feel as though they are lacking a punch to really get the album going in the right direction, but again that is a personal judgement call by me. “Black Phoenix” does have a slight rise in tempo and drive that helps make it one of the best songs here. This is followed by several songs that all retain the key elements of the album, sitting in the style that Jorn and his supporting band have set this album in. And as with the earlier tracks, there is nothing wrong with “Special Edition” and “Ode to the Black Nightshade” and “Winds of Home”, it is just that I feel that having the songs at a quicker tempo and adding a bit more riffage to would have enhanced their joy. “In the Dirt” is without a doubt the best guitar driven track on the album, and as a result immediately raises your head when it comes through the speakers. “Believer” is then followed by the final track, “Faith Bloody Faith”, an extended version of the song that Jorn entered as a contestant to become Norway’s entrant in this year’s Eurovision contest. The song failed at the final hurdle, with some experts suggesting it was too heavy to really be considered. Perhaps this is the case, but to me it is more suggestive of the style of song the decision makers wanted entered rather than the quality of the song, because the quality here is certainly not in question.
Jorn isn’t breaking any new ground here. He’s not creating a stylistic masterpiece nor revisiting any old ground by cannibalising star moments from his past. My opinion of Jorn’s work in the past is that he is a masterful vocalist who is at his best when he performs songs that have been written by other people especially for his vocals. The first two Masterplan albums were masterpieces where Jorn co-wrote with Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch. They are still a template for power metal from the early 2000’s. His work with the Allen/Lande project was all written by Magnus Karlsson. His parts in Avantasia have been constructed by Tobi Sammet and Sascha Paeth. It is where Jorn has performed on songs that integrate his amazing vocals with the amazing musicianship of those other projects, as well as writers who know how to put all of that together. Back to “Over the Horizon Radar” however, and there is some good material here, and some good pieces that find their way to the surface. And while I enjoy the rest of the album, I guess it doesn’t quite capture the imagination the way other music and albums do that Jorn has been involved in. And there is no doubt that the covid years contribute to that, as with other recent release albums, because the writing and recording process has been so stagnated.
Jorn is not the only great singer out there to find that, in my opinion, they need to be a part of a conglomerate to get the best out of them – Ripper Owens is another I can name immediately in that boat – but one thing that is for sure is that I will always check out any music where Jorn’s name is involved in the linear notes. Because his vocals alone are enough to bring me to the party. And the one thing I believe I get from this album is that, if you come into this without your expectations raised and without truly knowing Jorn Lande’s past amazing albums, you will gain a better perspective of it. Because you won’t judge it as harshly as I probably have here, because I know what has come in the past. This is still a terrific album, and it remains on my playlist up to today, and the slight disappointment I feel for some of the songs are only because I feel by bumping up the tempo and energy just a little on those tracks, it would have made this an even better album. And if you aren’t sure I know what I’m talking about, check out Masterplan’s eponymous debut album. And judge the differences for yourself.
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