Like Frontiers say themselves in the press blurb accompanying this CD, “A winning formula should not change”. And Jorn has heeded this advice. This new album isn’t a radical departure from his style, but rather his usual display of  solid classic heavy rock. None of the songs would be out of place on Jorn’s earlier solo albums. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially not if the material on offer is as strong as we find it here. Fans of Dio, post-Ozzy Sabbath, JLT and comparable acts will find lots to like here.

Spirit Black is a solid opener, but the first real shining moment of the album is third song Road Of The Cross. A brutal, Sabbath-inspired crusher of a song that sees Lande really opening up those pipes of his.  The epic City In Between is the next highlight. The band branches out a bit here, to great effect. Rock N Roll Angel is another mid tempo stomper with a great catchy pre-chorus. The band picks up the tempo on following track Burn Your Flame, a rocker with a pronounced Deep Purple flavour. Album closer I Walk Alone is another gem of a song. Heavy, fiercely melodic with some really nifty guitar work. A perfect end to a solid album.

The production of this album is great. Whereas earlier Jorn albums tended to be over compressed, this one sounds like a bell, and could be used as a reference for the genre. His band is solid as ever, if anything they’re more inspired now than on some earlier releases. There’s some very cool rhythm guitar work on the album. Guitar solos abound, but the pyrotechnics of former axeman Jorn Viggo Lofstad seem to be replaced with a more melodic, classic approach that fits the music to a tee. There will no doubt be the usual comparisons to Coverdale, but, frankly, Jorn has evolved beyond those and is very much his own man. One of the best singers in the genre at the moment.

No, Jorn hasn’t changed his winning formula. But he has refined it, and added in some more flavours. The song writing shows variation and maturity. The spirit of Dio and Blackmore remains strong, but with every album the band seems to develop its own identity further. A couple more up-tempo songs wouldn’t have hurt, but overall there’s enough variation to keep the listener interested for the duration.

Review by Joost Vlasschaert