If you're a fan of these collaborations, you'll love this new one - it's the best one yet.Are there two better vocalists in metal today than Jorn Lande (Masterplan) and Russell Allen (Symphony X)? You'd be hard pressed to find two better than these guys, who've been rocking us in their respective bands for the last several years. But in 2005, guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) had a dream of putting these two together for the Allen/Lande project. Karlsson writes the tunes for - and plays about every instrument on - these records, bringing in these two seasoned vocalists to make his dream a reality. The Showdown is the 3rd installment in the Allen/Lande collaboration, and it could be their best to date.
The Showdown picks up where the last two records left off, with a nice mix of hard rock, power metal and progressive rock all blended together nicely. The majority of the songs are full of big hooks and catchy riffs, but one of the strongest songs to display the greatness of this collaboration is Turn All Into Gold, which features the vocalists dueling it out over some nice fretwork by Karlsson. There are a few surprises on the CD, like the ballad Copernicus which conjurs up memories of Journey at points. It's a classic 80s-styled hard rock ballad that gets heavy in the chorus, finishing nicely with the vocalists serenading over the backing piano. All in all, not a bad CD. It is a little more of what's been done previously, but I believe the songs on this one stick with you a little more than sdf and wer.
Bottom Line: Not sure if this sort of thing could work with any other vocalists; it's amazing how well these two sound together. As far as the CD goes, it's a little more of the same: catchy tunes that really don't break any new ground, but if you're a fan of this series then you'll love it, because it's probably the best out of the three.
Standout Tracks: The Showdown, Turn All Into Gold, Judgement Day and The Guardian
- Ragman is in awe at how well these two sound together...