Metal Thrashing Mad – Edenbridge vs. 42 Decibel vs. Jorn

Metal Thrashing Mad – Edenbridge vs. 42 Decibel vs. Jorn

EDENBRIDGE
The Bonding
Steamhammer

Album number eight from Austrian symphonic metallers Edenbridge, following three years of chopping and changing. So how to mark their return to the studio? Simple. Hire the freaking Klangvereinigung Orchestra of Vienna to push that bombast meter through the roof. And so it is, as the sixty piece orchestra, along with some excellent orchestrations make this a proper, symphonic treat.

It’s a dense and difficult recording, so don’t come here looking for pop metal. The band don’t ever get lost in the maelstrom of musical shenanigans, and it’s probably the best that Sabine Edelsbacher (pictured below) has sounded on record. For sure, there’s nothing new going on, but there are some tunes hear that will stay with you, such as ‘Death Is Not The End’, ‘Star-Crossed Dreamer’ and ‘Far Out Of Reach’.

It almost tips over into prog metal in several places, but it stays rooted in melody, with some fiery solos and over the top performances, no more so than on the incredible title track, a fifteen minute epic that sees Ms Edelsbacher duetting with Erik Martensson (W.E.T., Eclipse) and things getting even more bombastic than anything that has gone before. Just amazing, it’s also out as a limited edition 2 disc set.

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42 DECIBEL
Hard Rock n Roll
Steamhammer

Hmm. A 42 decibel rock’n’roll band? Now, where have we heard that before? Oh, yes.

But down Argentina way they’ve decided that what the world needs is a dose of AC/DC style boogie, from the pre-Beano days. So. it’s back to the world of booze, broads and brawling personified by Bon Scott, as 42 Decibel, led by Nicko Cambiasso and Junior Figueroa (former holding midfielder with Everton), get on with the business of drinking whisky (‘Scotch Drinker’) admiring shapely ladies (‘Long Legged Woman’), getting in touch with their feminine side (‘Drinkin’ Margaritas’), drinking whisky AND admiring shapely ladies (‘Drunk Love’) and drinking (‘Gimme A Drink’).

And they do it very well. Although bearing in mind that none of the putative successors to AC/DC (Rhino Bucket, Airbourne etc) have really caught the public imagination, it’s hard to see that this will be any different. However that doesn’t stop it being an absolute blast to listen to, even if all it does is make you reach for “Powerage” and a stiff shot.

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JORN
Traveller
Frontiers

Well that didn’t take long. Hot on the heels of “Bring Heavy Rock to the Land” and the (third) compilation album “Symphonic”, Jorn Lande is back with a new release “Traveller”, which seems him exploring his dub and trip-hop influences. Or not. However, it is the first album since the departure of guitarist Tore Moren and bassist Nic Angileri, to be suprisingly replaced by Wig Wam guitarist Trond Holter and bassist Bernt Jansen.

But don’t worry, fans of Dio inspired metal, this doesn’t herald a change to glam / pop metal for Mr Lande. No, it’s just(!) another excellent slab of eighties inspired hard rock and metal. See, Jorn doesn’t make bad albums. And this is another excellent release for those of you who think that metal peaked with “The Last In Line”. What is a surprise is that the arrival of the Wig Wam duo seems to have made things heavier than of late. Really.

The opening duo of ‘Overload’ and ‘Cancer Demon’ actually border on the brutal, as if the new line-up are determined to make their mark. They even tip over into the world of doom on ‘Carry The Black’ and carry it off, but with Lande in fine voice it generally remains true to its Dio inspired roots, no more so than on the closing Ronnie James Dio tribute, ‘The Man Who Was King’. Jorn fans will love this, and if you’ve not listened to any of his prodigious output, this is a helluva place to start.

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