Review Summary: A grossly addicting album and one that belongs in Jorn's best
Often overlooked in the metal/hard-rock territory, Jorn is a Norwegian rocker who has been most prominent with the band Masterplan. He’s released a great deal of powerful records over the years nailing down fierce riffs, passionate vocals, and sharp arpeggios to deliver a supersonic burst of enjoyment. Arguably, this is one of his greatest albums and most emotional to say the least , uncovering some of his most hard hitting songs with some power metal influences here and there. As been said numerous times, this album is a more defined and formalized sound instead of his other experimental-tinged records he’s done in the past. With a great deal of masterful guitar solos and beautiful choruses, this marks one of his greatest efforts and an ultimate winner for me in his books.
While there are plenty of boisterous moments on
Spirit Black, there are also very emotional masterpieces with a number of familiar highlights. Some features I can think of are ones like his staggering high-octave voice that circles its way throughout the album multiple times, and his truly groundbreaking and ferocious guitar solos, both being noteworthy scenes for Jorn and even a lot of the Hard Rock/Metal scene. Musically, this album rarely cools down if ever, making it a heart-pounding, epinephrine- charged sweat charged with primary support from the instrumentation. Don’t look past the feverishly addicting playback value either, which can be quite the thrill each time and unlike most albums, you’ll be able to uncover and discover new sounds and riffs not previously heard the last time. Not to mention, Jorn himself excels in tinkering with different techniques on the guitar, with his shredding vulnerabilities and those mind-warping guitar solos, altogether these deliver an extravagant listening experience and showcase some of his greatest strengths.
Almost every track on this record is a winner for me; much like how ‘Spirit Black’ rarely fails to get my adrenaline pumping and my foot stomping. The intro with its assorted percussion and crunchy, sonic assault riff both build up into one of the finest selections on the album, infusing both catchiness and heaviness (the chorus is the usual Jorn-esque; catchy, vocally complex, and euphoric). After the first song played, I was wonderfully optimistic and knew that Jorn was at his best. Working down the album, Jorn’s breathtaking acoustic passage called ‘Rock and Roll Angel’, revealing some of his most profile and gifted songwriting abilities as well as a truly menacing rhythm section, both playing an incredible role within the song itself. The song is probably the best on the album and exposes Jorn at his most confident; mostly because of his iron-lung chorus he implants and that sublime guitar solo.
I also couldn’t keep my mind off of ‘The Last Revolution’ as well. While it’s relatively short for his sake, it’s the most incendiary song here, coupled with aggressive riff and one badass chorus sung in a somewhat lower octave from the man. It’s quite a rush of a track and fires from all cylinders and should be considered essential for listening; the song is probably the best for a new person on here.
The finale to this album, also an epic, is called ‘The Sun Goes Down.’ Because of the multitudes of melody and harmony, this is his most musically complex song on here. Beginning with a soft, somber chant from the man harmonizing near perfectly with the mellow guitars, it builds course then explodes into one musically rich, breathtaking guitar solo then reiterates lyric after lyric; or repeats. The indulgent guitar melody seemingly sweeps its way throughout most of it and releases a very relaxing vibe to it, judging into this being a phenomenal way to conclude the album.
Spirit Black is a captivating listen from nearly start to finish. I mean, after all, just look at that album artwork, wicked right? Even though the album might have some faults and uneven moments (mostly how Jorn can become slightly annoying at times with his extreme high-tones), this is a stellar, well above-average album made by a ridiculously talented vocalist. Each instrument is heard in absolute clarity and can be mesmerizing as well. This is a very creative- incentive piece of work, as well as a monster of one.
Song recs:
Spirit Black
Rock and Roll Angel
The Sun Goes Down
The Last Revolution
