Artist: Jorn
   Title: The Gathering
   Label: Frontiers Records  

The name of Jorn Lande might be unknown outside the metal circles but inside this Norwegian singer songwriter is held in high regard throughout.  He first came to fame, as the front man of Vagabond but is his work with both Masterplan and numerous side projects that have brought him notoriety.

‘The Gathering’ is the second of two simultaneously release albums from the Norwegian song-smith, but unlike 'Unlocking the Past' the covers album, ‘The Gathering’ gives his fans a chance to hear some of his earlier Pre-Masterplan material, some of which have been remixed to enhance their original sound, while others have been totally re-recorded.

The first of these is ‘Something Real’ which is taken from his 'Out of Every Nation' album.  A great way to start of things with a great track of a great album.

Next up is ‘Gonna Find The Sun’ which was originally recorded on The Snakes 1998 album 'Once Bitten'.  A union which saw Lande unite with former Whitesnake members Bernie Marsden and Mick Moody.

Then it's time for something from one of Lande's finest hours, the mighty 'Worldchanger' album with ‘Bridges Will Burn’.  The album that really fired my interest when I was asked to review it all those years ago and one that remains a firm favourite of mine.  Things really start rocking up with the next track, another song taken from the 'Out of Every Nation' opus ‘Young Forever’.

However, one of my favourite all time Jorn tracks has to be the powerful and passionate ‘Tungur Knivur’, a song that is steeped in Nordic legend and is just a masterful piece from beginning to end.  You can almost smell the fiords and taste the longships with this one, a song to stir that viking spirit hidden deep in us all. 

We return to the more traditional hard rock sound with ‘One Day We Will Put Out The Sun’, again chosen from the 'Out of Every Nation' album which is followed by the excellent rocker ‘Sunset Station' from 'Worldchanger'.   We continue our musical quest and delve even deeper into Jorn’s back catalogue for the Coverdale sounding ‘Hourglass’ from the 2000 Millenium album of the same name.

2000 must have been a busy year for Lande as the next track comes from his debut solo release 'Starfire' which was released that same year.  The excellent ‘Gate of Tears’ is a full on rock fest from an album that placed the name of Lande well and truly on the rock map.

Another track off the fabulous Worldchanger album is the more sedate soundings of ‘House of Cards’.  A song that once again shows the versatility of Lande’s song writing as with this song he proves he can come up with a power ballad as strong as any when called upon.

Over the years Mr Lande has worked on many different projects in his wide and varied career, but one of the many highlights has to be his collaboration with Russell Allen for the 2005 opus 'The Battle'.  One track that shows the quality of this album to perfection is the next track ‘My Own Way Home’.

If 'House of Cards' reflects Lande’s more mellow side, then the next track ‘Worldchanger’, which is also the title track of his 2001 release, shows his ability to deliver a powerhouse vocal mixed with some wondrous melodies and this another all time favourite of mine.

We head back to the Ark’s self titled release for ‘Where The Winds Blow’ before returning to 'Worldchanger' for ‘Christine’, then finally finishing off this anthology with the tongue and cheek view of this mad music industry with ‘Big’, a track that was originally release on the Japanese version of 'Out of Every Nation'.

This album not only salutes the talents of Lande but also the many talented musicians that have worked with him throughout the years and thanks also goes out to the likes of guitarists Tore Moren, Jorn Viggo Lofstad, Ralph Santolla, Magnus Karlsson.  Bass players Morty Black, Sid Ringsby, Monfred Binder, Magnus Rosen, also the drum talents of Stian L Krisoffersen, Willy Bendiksen, Oliver Hanson, Jaime Salazar and on keyboards Don Airey.

Good artists come and go with the seasons, great artists are still quite plentiful, however, to discover a truly outstanding artist such as Jorn Lande is more akin to searching for the holy grail.  He sings with passion, feeling, joy and wonderment and has more than proved he's here for the long term and really is a modern day legend in our own lifetime.  This album is a must for all his new fans who have yet to discover the wonderment and majesty that is Jorn Lande.

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