Two of the most sought after vocalists in the heavier music field being Russell Allen and Jorn Lande have brought their significant talents together once more, Russell being mainly known for his lead vocals with Symphony X and his other contributions like that with Arjen Lucassen's two Star One releases. And Jorn with of course his namesake group Jorn plus the bands Ark and Masterplan, I have to mention that Jorn sounded great on the latest Avantasia recordings, no easy feat in the company of many other top singers including Russell Allen, but he was one of the standouts.
This is their third collaboration, the first was in 2005 which saw The Battle released, and then in 2007 The Revenge hit the shelves, and now the latest Allen/Lande melodic CD to see the light is called The Showdown keeping in line with the former CDs dramatic titles. Joining the popular vocal duo again is Magnus Karlsson from the metal band Primal Fear on guitars, bass and keyboards and the very competent drummer Jaime Salazar who has performed with acts including The Flower Kings. Magnus is also the songwriter and producer, so he played a substantial part in this recording, he certainly knows how to write the appropriate and varied songs whether it's heavy rockers such as "Judgement Day" where Jorn's vocals feature, to the inviting ballads like "Coperincus" where Russell is prominent. Mangus showcases the talents of both Allen and Lande, with a fitting balance between them as they are featured where their vocals suit best.
The Showdown is a solid gathering of catchy melodic tunes by some talented musicians that's very pleasing to the ears, so fingers crossed we will see a fourth release in a few years.
Track List
01. The Showdown
02. Judgement Day
03. Never Again
04. Turn All Into Gold
05. Bloodlines
06. Copernicus
07. We Will Rise Again
08. The Guardian
09. Maya
10. The Artist
11. Eternity
12. Alias (Bonus Track)
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