Singer JORN LANDE Rejoins MASTERPLAN - Apr. 21, 2009
According to the long-running Dutch rock/metal magazine Aardschok, Norwegian singer Jorn Lande has rejoined MASTERPLAN, the band led by former HELLOWEEN guitarist Roland Grapow.
Lande left the band in May 2006, citing "musical differences" between the vocalist and the rest of the band, particularly then-drummer Uli Kusch (who has since also left MASTERPLAN). During the songwriting process for the group's third album, it became increasingly apparent that the other members of the band had different visions and plans for the group's musical direction. While Jorn allegedly wanted MASTERPLAN to follow a more melodic path, the rest of the band apparently wanted to return to the metallic roots of their debut album.
Vocalist Mike DiMeo (RIOT, THE LIZARDS) announced his departure from MASTERPLAN in January 2009 after recording just one studio album with the group 2007's "MK II".
Jorn Lande entered the studio in November to begin recording his new solo album, "Spirit Black", tentatively due in June via Frontiers Records. The follow-up to last year's "Lonely Are The Brave" CD which entered the national chart in Norway at No. 28 and Sweden at No. 42 will include such songtitles as "Road Of the Cross", "Black Heart" and "Rock'n Roll Angel". Jorn states, "People can expect a solid and defined album that will shake the classic metal world and hammer the future Jorn legacy in stone!"
Frontiers Records released the long-awaited JORN DVD, "Live In America", in Europe on January 23, 2009.
"Live in America" is a documentation JORN's first-ever concert in the USA, at the ProgPower USA VII festival in Atlanta, where he performed as a headliner on September 16, 2006. The incredible set saw Jorn run through a wide selection of songs taken from his solo albums, collaborations and a mindblowing WHITESNAKE medley.
Jorn Lande cut his teeth with such internationally renowned acts as MASTERPLAN, ARK, MILLENIUM, VAGABOND and THE SNAKES. He has also established himself with his own band under the name JORN, releasing seven increasingly successful solo albums. "Live In America" is a visual testament to Jorn's capabilities as an entertainer and to the incredible power and strength of his now-legendary shows and a perfect complement to the CD release which came out in September 2007.
