When Jorn Lande hit the stage with Heaven & Hell at last year's High Voltage fest, it's fair to say that a high proportion of the crowd didn't really know who he was. It's also fair to say that by the end of that set, a whole lot more people knew who he was, as he gave an incredible performance that day, doing justice to many of Ronnie James Dio's finest songs, and even overshadowing the mighty Glenn Hughes along the way.

Having recorded his own Dio tribute album, it's clear that Lande is a true Dio disciple, and of course his voice at times bears an uncanny resemblance to the great man. 'Live In Black' is a double live CD and DVD pack documenting Jorn's triumphant appearance at last year's Sweden Rock festival.

On the strength of this 80+ minute performance, it's clear the Jorn Lande has an exceptional voice for Dio-styled classic metal/hard rock, there's no question about that. There's also little question about the quality of the musicianship with the band. Unfortunately, on the whole it's the actual material that lets this album down. It's solid, competent and well played, but the songs seem to lack the sparkle that a voice like Lande's deserves, and it all starts to sound a bit metal-by-numbers. The likes of 'Spirit Black', 'Tungur Knivur' or 'Rock And Roll Angel' sound decent enough, but there aren't any 'Holy Diver's or 'Children Of The Sea's to really make Jorn stand up and shout.

To top it all there's not one, but two guitar solo spots as well as a drum solo that isn't entirely essential in this day and age. A cover of Thin Lizzy's 'Are You Ready' adds an extra dimension to the album, but the metal edge the guitar gives it seems to suck a bit of the soul and swagger from the original. It's left to the epic final track, 'War Of The World', to add a bit of superior sheen to the album. A fine metal moment with a huge sing along from the audience, Lande skilfully incorporates Rainbow's 'Man On The Silver Mountain' into the middle section to prove that he is capable of something special, he just needs the right songs.

http://www.jornlande.com/