Allen - Lande - The Showdown

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I was not expecting an ALLEN LANDE release during this year; I mean, both singers are currently busy working with their full time bands and in particular Jorn Lande is literraly everywhere with his solo and the MASTERPLAN albums. Russel is currently working with the upcoming SYMPHONY X release so, there should not be enough time return to this side-project that made quite an impact with "The Battle" in 2005. But, as it seems the two singers found time and once again teamed up with Magnus Karlsson and worked on the third ALLEN LANDE album.

The charismatic axeman has worked again on the Hard Rock blend with very good guitar work and the right amount of keyboards, enhancing the melodic side of the album. To be honest with you, I found the sound of this ALLEN LANDE album closer to the MASTERPLAN records through the catchy chorus lines and the most of the times heavy guitar breaks. On the other hand, this impression might have been misinterpred by me, since Jorn's vocals are so characteristic and so MASTERPLAN… Nevertheless, the album relies on the two voices that I consider as the best ones in the modern Metal scene. Jorn handles the melodic parts with his Dio / Coverdale vocals while Russel adds some heaviness and aggression in the vein of the excellent "Paradise Lost latest SYMPHONY X album.

In the previous albums, I found myself focused on the two voices and in some extent missed to acknowledge Karlsson's work in the music. In "The Showdown" the music is great (again) and in fact needs some additional listening sessions to reveal its full power. "Copernicus" is a fine example of my saying since, there is a lot of action in the background despite the fact that Russel gives an amazing performance behind the mic. I tell you, the guitar solo somewhere in the middle of this song will blow you ears away. "We Will Rise Again" is another track that stands out, from the killer opening riff and the hearty bass groove until the sing along chorus making another connection to Lande's time with MASTERPLAN. The Hard Rock layer makes an appearance in the 4/4 tempo of "The Guardian" building a smooth as velvet grove and in the keyboard driven almost power ballad "Maya" that to my ears has something from the early SURVIVOR works (listen to the background keyboard rhythm).

Although the album does not have massive stand-out hits it contains excellently crafted music along the always impressive vocals by the two gentlemen. The only complaint I can make in this, is the fact that the singing duets were not what I was expecting. In the previous albums there was a feeling of a vocal "battle" between the two singers balancing between the melody of Jorn and the aggression of Russel. In this one, there is a simple trade between the leading and the second singer that I found less tempting and more playing on the safe side making me come to the conclusion that the Allen / Lande chemistry was not fully deployed.

Question: Where is Russel in the "Judgement Day" video?