Battle

Russell Allen, Allen Lande | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Locomotive Spain
• ASIN: B000HWXRB0
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,927 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Another Battle

2. Hunter's Night

3. Wish for a Miracle

4. Reach a Little Longer

5. Come Alive

6. Truth About Our Time

7. My Own Way Home

8. Ask You Anyway

9. Silent Rage

10. Where Have the Angels Gone

11. Universe of Light

12. The Forgotten, Ones

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Since 1995 RUSSELL ALLEN is singer of the American Progressive Metal band SYMPHONY X which has released six studio albums and one live record up till now. Much attention was caused by "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy", "V - The New Mythology Suite", "Live On The Edge Of Forever" and "The Odyssey". These were albums which caused sensation, between the fans especially in Germany, Italy, and France and which reached high ranks in the reader polls of important magazines. More than once Symphony X already received descriptions such as "Best Progressive Power Metal Band Worldwide" or "Best Progressive Metal Album of the Year".

Highly rated current MASTERPLAN vocalist JORN LANDE has a vocal capability that is world class, distinctive, rich and spanning a large range. As such the man is in high demand since he has guested or sung for such bands as MILLENIUM, MUNDANUS IMPERIUM, ARK, THE SNAKES and many others. He is also a well known solo artist with three albums released since the debut "Starfire" in 1999.

With songs written by LAST TRIBE and STARBREAKER guitar sensation MAGNUS KARLSSON and with the production of the scandinavian studio wizard Anders "Theo" Theander (Pain of Salvation, Last Tribe, Urban Tale) the two monster vocalist for the first time unite their talents in a fabulous album that seems to be forged in the fires of Mayhem!

Product Description

The Battle by Russell Allen / Jorn Lande

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could go on and on about how great this album is, September 20, 2005

By 

George Dionne (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battle (Audio CD)

The Good
Soft piano and warm strings start things off on the "The Battle", but that's just the calm before the storm of guitar licks kick in. One could say this track in reminiscent of Allen's Symphony X material due to its use of keyboards and meaty guitar riffs. The harmonized chorus is both catchy and inspiring. The song's not about the struggles of war, but the constant struggles of love. The solo is a guitar lovers dream. The riffs are heavier, the guitar wails are more piercing, and the vocals are more emotional on "Hunter's Night". Lande establishes himself as the purveyor of the melodic highs, while Allen covers the melodic lows. Guitarist Magnus Karlsson flexes his melodic guitar chops on "Wish for a Miracle" with some impressive runs.

"Reach a Little Longer" has a great emotional arrangement. Things start off with piano and one vocalist. As the bridge comes in, so does the other vocalist. The chorus is also doubled up by the two vocal powerhouses. The last chorus kicks things up a notch with energy and guitar showmanship. "My Own Way" is a powerful anthem that stacks riff after riff after riff. Allen and Lande compliment each other on the over-the-top chorus. "Silent Rage" employs a riff and tone similar to classic Dokken, but our two vocals bury Don Dokken in the tonality department. "Where Have All the Angels Gone" is the best representation of what great AOR/melodic rock sounds like.

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
I could go on and on about how great this album is, but you're just going to have to listen for yourself. The Battle is the pinnacle of melodic rock and metal. Instead of going head to head, Lande and Allen join forces to do battle against boring and uninspiring music. Our new melodic heroes come out on top.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Battle of Magnus Karlsson, October 8, 2005

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Battle (Audio CD)

With two of rock's best singers on the same bill, this album is more than likely to be considered Russel Allen and Jorn Lande "battling" it out, trying to score on each other with their universal vocal talents. Not even close. Well, here's the deal.

This album is the brainchild of Magnus Karlsson from Last Tribe and Starbreaker, as he is solely responsible for all music and lyrics. However, he (or his record label) has wisely chosen to title it as the Allen/Lande project to increase the marketability of the release, also enlisting the services of Jaime Salazar on drums. Everything else from guitars to keys and bass is played by Magnus Karlsson. Personally, when I first heard of this project being in the works, given the two vocalists' back catalogs filled with progressive monuments, I couldn't help but expect a darker, heavier and obviously progressive release, perhaps something in between Symphony X's The Odyssey and Jorn's killer products under the Beyond Twilight and Ark monikers. However, as good as the album is now, it just turned out to be a solo album of Magnus Karlsson (and maybe this should be mentioned on the CD cover) with two amazing singers lending their vocal abilities. Moreover, I expected this to be a real "duet" album, where Jorn and Russel would get together, and actually exchange verses and even choruses to grace us with a timeless metal release. Again, things have been handled differently. As a matter of fact, this is hardly the meeting point of Russel Allen and Jorn Lande, as they didn't even see each other when they laid down their vocal parts. Jorn actually recorded his parts last year in the fall of 2004 in Norway, while Russel recorded his voice earlier this year back in the USA.

Perhaps it's no big deal, as there are plenty of projects out there with numerous guest vocalists. But then maybe that's the difference. This was supposed to be a unique album with two (not ten, twelve or fifteen!) amazingly powerful voices coming together, perhaps writing together, and definitely recording together. Out of twelve tracks, six of them are the "duet" pieces, if you want to call them such. Sadly those duets feel like Jorn Lande is doing the leads, especially in the choruses, whilst Russel Allen is lower in the mix, singing high pitch and trying to harmonise with him. Could this be the reason that Jorn was the first to record the album and therefore had the freedom to choose the vocal melodies? More than possible. Yes, the verse and bridges are fairly shared, but it's still evident they were recorded at a different time and place. The choruses, however, on all six songs put Jorn's voice under the light, and Russel is just behind there hitting some higher notes. Does it sound bad? Not even the slightest bit. But I certainly expected more.

With all of this being said, the album did impact me to a certain degree after many listens. What we have here is a melodic metal meets power metal meets AOR meets modern hard rock type of album, with silky production work done by Anders Theander (Pain of Salvation) and Magnus Karlsson himself. Except the duet songs, the other six pieces are equally shared by Russel and Jorn as solo numbers, and in some ways prove to be better than the duets. While "Hunter's Night" with Russel and "Where Have the Angels Gone" with Jorn are powerful statements of melodic metal mixed with AOR harmonies, both tracks contain some silly lyrics in their choruses such as: ("Don't you look into her evil eyes/ Don't touch her cold skin or slowly you will die/ Don't be fooled by her friendly smile/ Don't you follow her treacherous voice/ That leads the fool into her arms"). The Jorn-sung "My Own Way Home" slams right into his recent work with Masterplan, being heavy and utilising plenty of double bass drums. Russel also delivers a tune that will be likened to his solo material on Atomic Soul, as "Ask You Anyway" is a less bluesy but heavier rock song that also recalls Journey with a fantastic sweep guitar solo. The duet tracks are more in the AOR vein, emphasizing vocal melodies and focusing on the voices rather than the instrumentation, as illustrated on "Wish for a Miracle" and "Truth About Our Time". The duo make their most impressive statement on "The Forgotten Ones", the final track, with piano, searing blues guitar, tons of keys, and excellent vocal layerings. Theander has produced and arranged this track so cleverly that the duet sounds almost real and both singers prove they're indestructable in their respective fields. The last 40 seconds or so of this piece are priceless, especially the way Lande literally cuts loose and records some of his most awe-inspiring screams since The Devil's Hall of Fame.

This is going to appeal to a vary broad rock audience. It is melodic, accessible and catchy. Unfortunately Magnus Karlsson's profound guitar skills won't be noticed right away, as most of these people will be hooked by the singers' voices, but he is a great player with perfect tone and flow in his expressions. I just wish he had gone for a heavier and more progressive approach, but that's just me.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clash of the Titans, April 13, 2007

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Battle (Audio CD)

Given the two phenomenal vocal talents involved - Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jorn Lande (ex-everyone else) - was anyone really expecting less than greatness from the Battle?

I'm a vocalist fan first and foremost. I think technical prowess is important and enjoy instrumental pyrotechnics as much as the next guy, but my enjoyment of an album will ultimately have a lot more to do with how well the singer belts out the songs than how long a guitarist can shred or how many strings a bassist uses. As technical as Symphony X's music gets, Russell Allen is the main reason I buy their albums. And as for Jorn Lande, let's face it - the man is a vocal god.

The Battle is an album that is perfectly tailored for these vocal titans. The songs are extremely melodic, extremely well-written, and capitalize on the full range, power and emotion each singer possesses. Jorn is no stranger to this kind of melodic metal, but hearing Russell Allen in this setting makes me think his talents may be wasted in Symphony X, where he often has to remain silent while Michael Romeo is Yngwie-ing around.

And while much credit is due both singers, I think special mention should be made of guitarist/songwriter Magnus Karlsson, as it is his songs these guys are singing. Karlsson, a veteran of such first class melodic metal bands as Last Tribe and Starbreaker, is one of the two best "behind the scenes" players in the genre (Pink Cream 69's Dennis Ward is the other). The combination of his great songs and playing and Jorn and Allen's vocal performance is just amazing to hear, and is the real reason The Battle is such a fantastic album.

I have absolutely no complaints at all about the Battle. I do occasionally have "what if" thoughts and would have loved to have seen DC Cooper (Silent Force) added to the mix somewhere. He would have been right at home on a project like this.

If you're a fan of Russell Allen, buy this album. If you're a fan of Jorn Lande, buy this album. If you enjoy top quality melodic metal bands like Pretty Maids, Last Tribe, TNT, Pink Cream 69, Starbreaker, Shy, and Sunstorm, you absolutely must buy this album.