Customer Reviews

Battle

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This very well could be (along with Vision Divine's Stream Of Conciousness) the best melodic metal i've ever heard.This show other wanna be's in this genre how it should be done.Choruses and verses catchy beyond belief.Clarity in the production makes for aural delight.Guitar solos razorsharp-ly played.Vocals at times heavenly, fierce and emotional.A tour de force that if you don't buy it, you are truly missing out.
Highly Recommended.

All the reviews that have been posted on Amazon up to this point have been very positive about "The Battle", and mine will be no exception. This album is a fantastic all round package. The production is good, the music is good (great guitar work!), the vocals are good, and the song writing is good. There are no weak songs at all on this album (all written by guitarist Magnus Karlsson), it rocks from start to finish. All one can do is pick favorites and mine are "Wish For A Miracle", "Reach A Little Longer", "Truth Of Our Time" and "Where Have The Angels Gone".
It is rare to find an album on which all the songs are very well written, and then top this off with ripping guitar and two excellent vocalists...it's heaven to my ears. It is the perfect melodic metal album. Guitar solos, harmonies, choruses to sing along with, what more can one want? It reminds me very much of melodic metal from the 80's, i.e. the classic Van Halen era, but don't think that means cheese factor. This album has the sound of that time without the cheese, and it sounds fresh and modern.
I haven't heard much at all of Allen's band Symphony X so I can't compare this album to his work with that band at all, however I'm now going to check them out as I do like his voice. As far as Lande goes though, I'm a big fan. This is different to his solo albums and his work with Millenium, Ark or Masterplan. This is another example of his versatility and confirms why he is one of the best voices in metal at the moment.
Do I like this album more than Masterplan (I believe his best work other than this)? Well it is hard to compare as the styles of music are different. I like both, so really it just depends on the mood I'm in as to what album I play. If you want something that's hard but melodic, uncomplicated but classy, vibrant and uplifting, play "The Battle".
I can't praise this album enough. It deserves more than 5 stars. If you have any liking for AOR, hard rock or melodic metal at all you will not be disappointed with "The Battle" so just buy it. It's an awesome album that frequents both my home & car CD players.

All songs of this album have been written by Magnus Karlsson of Starbreaker fame. I've heard that bringing together two great vocalists, such as Russell Allen and Jorn Lande was Serafino Perugino's idea and it worked just great. The lyrics are very inspirational and the guitar work is very heavy, while the keyboards provide a unifying theme for the album: a great colaboration and a worthwhile album. I have no favorite cuts: all of them are very good.

what an album...... my two favorite singers together, singing heavy-hardrock, with amaizing drums and guitars. I guess that there is a maximum for everything, but this album has, by far, destroyed all my believes about that fact. it's AMAZING.

Hunter's Night is my new Heavy Metal Hymn :)

Buy this album is gonna kick some arsess round there ;)

Five stars and damm amazon for not having 6!!!!

Juan

A superb combination of AOR and melodic metal. Jorn Lande is the premier vocalist out there at the moment, and this is another great cd to add to his resume. To be honest, when i first heard this album i felt that having two vocalists was a bit redundent, but over time i've come to realise that the sharing of the lyrics works well. The production of this album is incredible, with all the songs written by magnus karlsson (check out the new Starbreaker album for more!). All the songs are upbeat and happy (which throws you a little, as the guitars are a quite heavy and dark). I was particularly impressed with the the choruses - you can't help but sing along. The lyrics do occasionally stray into that cheesy realm of AOR, but just roll with it. My least favourite song on the album (track 2, Hunter's Night) is weak only because i think the lyrics are silly.
Its not a symphony x album, nor is it masterplan or even millenium. Happy, melodic metal at its absolute best.

Seriously, I'm a prog/melodic metal nut and I was put onto this album recently and have not put it down since. I found it full of brilliant melodies/harmonies, great guitar riffs/solos, intelligent lyrics and some exceptional rhythms. These two guys are for me one of the best collaborations I've ever heard and I hope they turn out some more material. I also hope they tour at some stage. This and bands like them are the reason I don't listen to commercial radio anymore. With the depth of talent so obviously available I fail to understand why so many people are satsified listening to the same drap repetetive boring music. This album for me is most definitely in my top 10 along with Dream Theatre's 'Metropolis II', Pink Cream 69's 'Thunderdome', Black Sabbath's 'Heaven

Seriously. I waffled for a long time whether to buy this album and finally took the plunge. Oh. My. God. I haven't had so many eargasms since the last SX album. But this is NOT a clone or imitation of Symphony X. Oh no. I'd never heard of Magnus Karlsson before, and I forgot that Jorn Lande was the great singer for Ark, but I figured it was a cheap risk - and most of the reviews were good. This isn't like anything else I've heard, and I have a *huge* collection of albums. Karlsson writes incredible songs with perfect arrangements and flawless instrumental execution - and then he brings in two of the best rock/metal singers of their generation to kick it up a whole lotta notches. This album just took my breath away. I haven't written a review in a long time because frankly nothing else really affected me like this album (except for its followup). And I don't know how I can persuade other people to take a chance on buying this, I just know how much I love it and am so happy I bought this.

Put it this way: I install large-scale AV systems in commercial and public buildings for a living. I have two test CDs I use when checking a system's performance. After getting this album and "The Revenge", I burned a third CD just of these guys. The production is top-notch, the dynamic and musical ranges are astonishing, and of course I just love to hear these tunes cranked over systems that rival full arenas. I wish Karlsson spent less energy with Primal Fear, which doesn't really use his full range of writing and playing talents, and worked on more albums like this every year or two. It's not like SX, Primal Fear, Ark, or Allen's "Atomic Soul". Many of the songs remind me of power metal except fun to hear. It's just good, generally upbeat and well-crafted rock/metal.

My personal favorites: "Wish For A Miracle", "Come Alive", ***"My Own Way Home"***, and "Where Have The Angels Gone". Some songs feel like power ballads except without the inane, sappy lyrics; other songs feel like semi-raunchy grinds. I played "Come Alive" for someone to demonstrate artificial harmonics since I didn't have any Zakk Wylde or John Sykes handy. This is now one of my go-to albums when I'm stressed and need to decompress quickly. The hooks and the grooves are that powerful.

This album, while not 100% perfect, comes closer than anything I've heard in a long, long time. I wish these guys would do more work together. This is the definition of synergy in musical form. And it's incredible.