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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Allen Lande - The Great Divide + │
│ │
│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Oct-20-2014 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Hard Rock Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2014 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........10 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... n/a ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Allen Lande Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : The Great Divide Label : Frontiers ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ One aspect that many people don't take into ║ │
│║ account when listening to a band is who is ║ │
│║ actually writing the songs. A change is the ║ │
│║ primary lyricist can completely change a band's ║ │
│║ dynamics and almost make amazing vocalists seem ║ │
│║ unlistenable. Everyone really seemed to worry ║ │
│║ when it was announced that guitarist, producer ║ │
│║ and songwriting genius Magnus Karlsson would not ║ │
│║ be working on the new Allen/Lande album. Many ║ │
│║ were even further worried when it was unveiled ║ │
│║ that the eccentric, ex-Stratovarius mastermind ║ │
│║ Timo Tolkki was announced as his replacement. ║ │
│║ This was probably deemed a huge concern because ║ │
│║ Karlsson has been known for producing ║ │
│║ exceptional work with practically every band he ║ │
│║ has created music with. Tolkki on the other hand ║ │
│║ has seemed to be extremely inconsistent in some ║ │
│║ of the work he has put out since exiting from ║ │
│║ Stratovarius. Last year he had released the ║ │
│║ first album of his metal opera trilogy Avalon, ║ │
│║ which was widely acclaimed as being one of his ║ │
│║ best albums in recent years, which may have been ║ │
│║ helped by many of his guest vocalists such as ║ │
│║ Symphony X frontman Russell Allen. This year ║ │
│║ however he decided to release the second ║ │
│║ installment of Avalon and most people hated ║ │
│║ virtually everything about it, including the ║ │
│║ production quality as well as the vocalists. It ║ │
│║ was very difficult to tell just how his ║ │
│║ contributions to Allen/Lande would work out. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Russell Allen and Jorn Lande are both two of my ║ │
│║ favorite vocalists and Timo Tolkki happens to be ║ │
│║ my favorite guitarist, so you could imagine my ║ │
│║ excitement in listening to Allen/Lande's The ║ │
│║ Great Divide. The album starts off immediately ║ │
│║ on the right foot with the very uplifting track ║ │
│║ Come Dream With Me. The intro guitar riff sounds ║ │
│║ very similar to something Tolkki would have done ║ │
│║ in his Revolution Renaissance project, which I ║ │
│║ happened to love. There is not one aspect about ║ │
│║ this song that I don't think is perfect. The ║ │
│║ vocal production is amazing and I can actually ║ │
│║ decipher between the two vocalists, which ║ │
│║ honestly I had a bit of a problem with on some ║ │
│║ of their past albums. The guitars are very clear ║ │
│║ sounding and clean, and it has an extremely ║ │
│║ uplifting solo. Right off the bat I am more ║ │
│║ impressed with this than anything off of ║ │
│║ Avalon's Angels of the Apocalypse album, the ║ │
│║ last Symphony X album, and most of what Jorn has ║ │
│║ done recently. From first listen this song will ║ │
│║ get stuck in your head. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The music greatly intensives by the second track ║ │
│║ Down from the Mountain. It starts with a really ║ │
│║ distorted yet melodic guitar riff that actually ║ │
│║ reminds me a bit of some mid period Stratovarius ║ │
│║ tracks, but still manages to sound fresh and ║ │
│║ original. Jorn Lande's vocals start off ║ │
│║ extremely menacing and I feel like this is the ║ │
│║ best he's sounded in quite a while. Everything ║ │
│║ about this song just screams fist pumping ║ │
│║ anthem. Once again an extremely memorable, yet ║ │
│║ more aggressive track that includes some of the ║ │
│║ best soloing out of Tolkki that I've heard in ║ │
│║ years. One of my favorite things about this song ║ │
│║ is that the drum production sounds really crisp, ║ │
│║ almost like Jorg Michael's on the classic ║ │
│║ Stratovarius albums. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Solid Ground is where you begin to notice that ║ │
│║ Tolkki is on the top of his game in terms of his ║ │
│║ lyrics. Although there are still a few ║ │
│║ stereotypical songs on here about dreams and ║ │
│║ time, the songs still seem very original and not ║ │
│║ just a rehash of old ideas like he has often ║ │
│║ been accused of recently. Solid Ground is ║ │
│║ essentially about taking control of your own ║ │
│║ life and living it the way you want to live it, ║ │
│║ even in the face of adversity. Musically it ║ │
│║ really isn't anything all that intense, but the ║ │
│║ message to it pretty much stands for itself. The ║ │
│║ guitar solo however does have a lot of emotion ║ │
│║ to it and is pulled off very cleanly and meshes ║ │
│║ seamlessly back into the chorus. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Piano intros are something that Allen/Lande have ║ │
│║ always been known for and is one of the defining ║ │
│║ characteristics of most great melodic rock ║ │
│║ music. Some people have accused Lady of Winter ║ │
│║ of starting off exactly like Savatage's Edge of ║ │
│║ Thorns with an open distorted note along with ║ │
│║ the piano, but I honestly don't see the ║ │
│║ similarities. The song progresses into an ║ │
│║ absolute masterpiece with even more excellent ║ │
│║ guitar riffs and menacing yet clean and melodic ║ │
│║ vocals from both Russell and Jorn. This has ║ │
│║ grown to be one of my favorite songs on the ║ │
│║ album. The solo sounds really fresh and not ║ │
│║ derivative at all, which is something I think ║ │
│║ many people were anticipating would happen. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ There is actually one track that I would ║ │
│║ consider a throwback to earlier Stratovarius ║ │
│║ music. Dream About Tomorrow does happen to ║ │
│║ musically sound alot like Paradise in terms of ║ │
│║ the primary riff, but honestly that is where the ║ │
│║ similarities end. Tolkki has often been accused ║ │
│║ of trying to relive his glory days in his new ║ │
│║ music, but it is very understandable to me that ║ │
│║ some tracks are going to sound like ║ │
│║ Stratovarius, since he wrote virtually all ║ │
│║ aspects of their music when he was in the band ║ │
│║ and has a very distinct guitar tone. I don't ║ │
│║ feel like this track was an intentional ║ │
│║ reproduction, because honestly it sounds like a ║ │
│║ very fresh and original idea to me especially in ║ │
│║ the guitar solo. He is definitely putting much ║ │
│║ more of a focus on the soulful side of his ║ │
│║ guitar playing in this track, which is what drew ║ │
│║ me to his music many years ago in the first ║ │
│║ place. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The Great Divide is easily the best album I have ║ │
│║ heard out of Timo Tolkki in a really long time ║ │
│║ and is the best vocal performance I've heard ║ │
│║ from Russell Allen and Jorn Lande in just as ║ │
│║ long. The songs come out extremely memorable and ║ │
│║ fresh sounding, the production is very crisp and ║ │
│║ clean, and I don't feel like any of it is too ║ │
│║ repetitive or boring. I really hope Tolkki ║ │
│║ sticks around and works with these guys more in ║ │
│║ the future, to me it seems like a match made in ║ │
│║ heaven. This is definitely one of my favorite ║ │
│║ albums of the year. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Come Dream With Me [04:34] │
│ 02 - Down From The Mountain [04:08] │
│ 03 - In The Hands Of Time [04:29] │
│ 04 - Solid Ground [05:12] │
│ 05 - Ladu Of Winter [04:55] │
│ 06 - Dream About Tomorrow [05:13] │
│ 07 - Hymn To The Fallen [05:33] │
│ 08 - The Great Divide [06:28] │
│ 09 - Reaching For The Stars [05:26] │
│ 10 - Bittersweet [04:31] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [50:29 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
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