Level 10 - Chapter One (Japanese Edition) (2015)

Genre - Melodic Metal

Label - AVALON / MARQUEE Japan

 

Track listing:

01 - Cry No More
02 - Soul Of A Warrior
03 - When The Nighttime Comes
04 - One Way Street
05 - Blasphemy
06 - Last Man On Earth
07 - In For The Kill
08 - Voice Of The Wilderness
09 - All Hope Is Gone
10 - Demonized
11 - The Soul Is Eternal
12 - Forevermore
13 - All Hope Is Gone (Acoustic Version) *
* Japan Only Bonus Track

Level 10 features vocalist Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob), bassist Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner), guitarist Roland Grapow (Masterplan, ex-Helloween), guitarist Alex Beyrodt (Silent Force, Primal Fear), drummer Randy Black (ex-Primal Fear) and keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Voodoo Circle, et all).
As if that weren’t enough, the album also boasts guest appearances from Magnus Karlsson, Carsten Schulz, Sander Gommans and Amanda Somerville. This is 'top shelf' talent in every spot, so expectations are quite high for the band’s debut, appropriately titled "Chapter One".

In terms of overall style, Level 10 sounds exactly like you’d expect it to given the players involved: this is catchy melodic metal somewhere between Primal Fear, Sinner and Allen-Lande.
However, there's more groovy material in between: “Soul Of A Warrior”, the ballad “All Hope Is Gone” and “One Way Street” sound like they came off a Rocky Soundtrack. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but that’s the feeling I got. These songs' foundation are in the '80s Hard Rock / AOR vein, done now with heavier guitars and more balls.
Of course there’s certainly a 'Metal' edge and a dark side to some songs as well like “Blasphemy” and “Demonized”, but the motto in "Chapter One" is catchiness.
Given the players involved, you know what you can expect from each position on the album. The guitar work is impeccable, merging heavy and melodic sides perfectly.
The rhythms show just how much chemistry Sinner and Black have together, and of course Russell Allen sounds like the vocal titan he is. We hear a lot of the more melodic side of his voice from the Allen-Lande collaborations, but there is also a good dose of 'Angry Russell' plenty of power.
There isn’t a single individual performance that you could find fault with here.

On paper "Chapter One" should be one of the albums of the year. In reality it’s a really good rocking album that at the end of the day isn’t equal to the sum of its parts. As good as it is to have these stellar performers in one place, the songwriting – good as it is – perhaps isn’t up to the task.
Don't get me wrong, "Chapter One" is a completely enjoyable album and one that grabs your interest throughout, but there are no instant classics here that you know you’ll be listening to a decade later, like you do with Allen-Lande songs, as example.
Again, this is a really strong album, and Level 10 sounds awesome as unit. I just miss that 'memorable' tune.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating - 9/10

ALLEN / LANDE - The Great Divide (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Rock / Progressive / Melodic Metal

Label - Frontiers Records.

 

Track listing:

01. Come And Dream With Me
02. Down From The Mountain
03. In The Hands Of Time
04. Solid Ground
05. Lady Of Winter
06. Dream About Tomorrow
07. Hymn For The Fallen
08. The Great Divide
09. Reaching For The Stars
10. Bittersweet

Norwegian Jorn Lande and American Russell Allen will release the fourth ALLEN / LANDE collaborative album, "The Great Divide".
Arguably two of the greatest singers progressive / melodic metal has had in the last 20 years, they started this collaboration back in 2005, in a melodic context to better highlight their far-reaching vocal abilities. Now, nine years later and three critically acclaimed albums, the duo comes back with a collection of ten pieces forged in a mould of passion and grandiose.
"The Great Divide" is a logical continuation of the previous effort from 2010. The guys are focusing on their trademarks, which are melodic metal anthems with heavy guitars, spacious keyboard arrangements and amazing hook lines.
However, the backing band has changed. Timo Tolkki, of Stradivari's fame, replaces Magnus Karlsson on guitar, bass and keyboards. And like Magnus previously, he also holds songwriting duties. Last but not least, Jami Huovinen, of Ring of Fire fame, is now the drummer.
But the music, the spirit and the thrill of ALLEN / LANDE is still present as ever.
As was the case with the previous albums of the duo, Jorn Lande delivers stunning vocal parts. His timbre is often compared to David Coverdale (Jorn started his musical career with a band covering Whitesnake songs), the match is particularly obvious with regard to the rasp of his voice.
The other feature of his voice is the passionate rage with which he performs the choruses, here making the comparison with the late Ronnie James Dio quite fair.
The first thing that strikes us when listening to his vocal delivery on this new record is how amazing it sounds nearly twenty years after his debuts. Jorn keeps indeed the rage and the enthusiasm of his earlier days. His mate Russell Allen shares the vocal duties in his elegant way. His theatrical and less 'throaty' performance is a great counterpoint to Jorn‘s aggressive notes.
The voices complement each other in such a way that it is sometimes hard to say who songs when (the opening track is a good example). Russell seems to be more often present in the chorus and backing vocals than in the verses (“Dream About Tomorrow” for example), which is a pity because his performance on “In the Hands of Time” makes it one of the best songs on an overall good album.
The newly hired multi-instrumentalist Timo does a really good job with his fiery guitar solos, and some classically-oriented keys (orchestral on “Solid Ground”, neo-romantic on “Lady of Winter”, baroque on “Dream About Tomorrow”). Besides, with his proven experience in power/neo-classical metal realm, Jami provides the right pulse to the songs.
The Allen / Lande project creates, in a constant way, records on a high level. And "The Great Divide" is another great one from the duo.
With its fair balance of melodic metal anthems, mid-tempo AORish songs and heart-breaking power ballads, "The Great Divide" is a killer release that will appeal all audiences.
Highly Recommended to all.

Rating - 10/10