JORN–Life On Death Road

Frontiers Records

If you had to name the greatest metal/hard rock singers ever, then you probably might come up with Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant, Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. But would you also think of Jorn, Norway’s very own giant Viking vocalist, as his voice is probably one of the best at this moment in rock history? Of course, critics always say that he is a Coverdale copycat, but to me that is just his natural timbre and sound of his magical throat. ‘Life On Death Road’ is Jorn’s ninth studio album and for this brilliant new album he put together a complete new band, consisting of: Alex Beyrodt (guitar) (Primal Fear), Mat Sinner (bass guitar) (Primal Fear, Sinner), Alessandro Del Vecchio (keys) (Hardline) and Francesco Iovino (Primal Fear) on drums. ‘Life On Death Road’ took four years to make and it turned out as a fabulous rock album with 12 brand new tracks that are full of groove, lots of power and very addictive, almost anthemic, choruses. The powerful album kicks off with the title track, a real powerhouse song, filled with great riffs, hooks and sheer utterly vocals by the master himself. Follow up ,,Hammered To The Cross’’ is a nasty rocker with some Whitesnake characteristics, which some people maybe will find  a bit too punchy…,,Dreamwalker’’ is a beautiful power ballad with a great melody and excellent guitar work by Beyrodt. However, the powerful, heavy tracks like ,,Fire To The Sun’’, ,,Insoluble Maze’’ and ,,The Slippery Slope’’ will be more to the liking of fans who like it rocky, loud, aggressive and rough. These songs capture the energy and the musical craftsmanship that every rock fan is looking for. This album is simply packed with classic hard rock songs and especially Jorn sings his ass off and proves to be one of the best “shouters” in the rock business. My personal favourite is the bluesy heavy rock track ,,I Walked Away’’; sheer brilliant! `Life On Death Road’ is Jorn’s best and most mature album by far; an utterly excellent power album. Highly recommended!!