Over the past few years, Jorn Lande has established himself as one of the brightest stars on the rock horizon. His resume includes Ronni Le Tekro's post-TNT project, Vagabond, Yngwie Malmsteen, Company of Snakes (with Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody), Uli Jon Roth (vocals on the much-anticipated Requiem For An Angel), melodic rock stalwarts Millenium and his phenomenal work with rising prog-gods, ARK, which he considers his main gig. Having recently signed a US deal with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, big things are expected from ARK in the months to come.

A chameleon of a vocalist, Lande has taken bits and pieces of some of rock's greatest singers, blended in his own touches and created an incredible style-collage that has put him in great demand of late. Hints of David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Robert Plant, Steve Walsh, Paul Rodgers, Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson and Tony Martin can be heard at different times by the seasoned ear. When added to his obvious gift for melody and harmony, the result is an impressive array of sounds and colors that the singer employs with power, grace and emotion.

Produced by Lande and mixed by studio ace Tommy Hansen, Worldchanger is the second solo release from Jorn and unlike last year's Starfire, contains all original material and features the same band on all tracks: Tore Moren - guitars, Sid Ringsby - bass and Jan "Hellhammer" Aksel - drums. The accompanying booklet features several pictures snapped by House of Shred webmaster, Kevin Ryan.

"Tungur Knivur" opens the disc, sounding a lot like Martin-era Sabbath with its dark mood and heavy bottom. This style is revisited two songs later on "Glow in the Dark." Track two, "Sunset Station" is a little more up-tempo and features some immediate hooks in the chorus that, when compared to the verses, underscore Jorn's versatility. Zero in on the high harmony he sings and you're sure to be impressed. Moren, who co-wrote most of the record with Lande, churns out some pretty cool Celtic-style licks before letting loose with a ripping lead break.

"House of Cards" begins with a somber, Hendrix-y motif and Lande lamenting the current state of world affairs, a topic he is no stranger to. The well-documented Coverdale influence is here in spades (pun intended) and could be seen as a good example of the student surpassing the teacher.

The one weakness of the record could also be seen as its strength, as Lande flirts with several of the styles he has explored in the past. Straightforward hard rock, classic metal, prog and thrash are all on tap here, lending themselves at once to the patchwork nature and diversity of the album. "Bless the Child," is the black sheep, standing out for it's stock thrash drumming and super-aggressive lead vocal parts, while "Christine" comes off like just another "wrote it for my girlfriend" song, despite some clever vocal acrobatics from Jorn.

"Captured" is a mid-tempo ballad that is a showcase for the singer's beautiful, muti-layered harmonies. The title track is a catchy, progressive number that would not be out of place on an ARK album. Hints of Dream Theater can be found in the verses, while elsewhere, Lande spews the kind of fire that hasn't been heard since the glory days of greats like Ronnie James Dio. If there's a better rock singer than Jorn Lande out there now, I'd love to hear him!

The disc wraps up with "Bridges Will Burn", another melodic, mid-tempo jaunt that shows Lande's knack for imaginative vocal arrangements and passionate delivery. All in all, Worldchanger is a winner and should please fans of any of this freakishly talented singer's past efforts.

Shredpick - "House of Cards"

Reviewed by Chris Yancik

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