After a first album marking a personal style for them, Ark returns with a second opus just as diversified, intense, magic and powerfully inspired. Tore Ostby (guitars), Jorn Lande (vocals) and John Macaluso (drums) appointed the services of Randy Coven (bass) and Mats Olausson (keyboards).
This treasure begins with a « Heal the Waters » preaching against the stupidity of man and its ostrich syndrome towards our Earth and the lot which it makes it undergo. Several musical and sound subtleties (make your own opinion on the coin that spins on itself). One of my favorite titles is the heartrending « Torn » and the repentrice melodies, the evident psychological frenzy and Jorn Lande’s wounded singing, who distinguishes himself from David Coverdale's shadow on this « Burn the Sun ». The tribal beat and bass licks adds a worried atmosphere. Speaking of Jorn, he is a real singing chameleon on this album. His range and tone of voice still has the same baseline as Whitesnake's frontman but with the power of a Russel Allen coupled with Ronnie James Dio by moment. He even pushes the high notes in a Robert Plant style (listen to « I Bleed »).
This opus is a continuation of their eponymus album and follows the concept surrounding the disasters that undergoes our mother Earth by Man. All the titles are co-written by the core of the band, Ostby-Lande-Macaluso and demonstrates the incredible musical and lyrical wealth that this trio holds. The lyrics are subtle, full of imagery and sometimes poetic.
« Resurrection », what left is there to say other then this title is majestic, varied and deep having this bohemian touch for the intro on guitar (Ostby’s touch), a first sweet and melodic break and a finale in which the rhythm intensifies rendering in music the image of the title of this track. Fabulous!!!
Ark had demonstrated their capacity to write songs that are more different from one another and pursues this orientation with, as a perfect example of this alienation, « Absolute Zero ». Beginning with Jorn’s singing which sounds like a simple-minded trying to explain that the 'Big Bang' is perpetual new beginning. For the eclectic side, « Just a Little » will be embedded in your head with its drive, the bohemian style (once again) and the exotic freshness in which Ark surprises. There is a passage where the perpetual innovating John Macaluso’s playing and Mats Olausson’s are parallel demonstrating the variety of their respective style.
In order to finish us in beauty, the atmospheric ballad « Missing You » deaply moves our soul with its sweet, almost bluesy, intro from Tore with, as a background, a pervading keyboard welcoming Jorn’s merciful singing. This song abounds in emotion, regret, melancholy and in great sensibility. Simply grand, having so much gripping passion can only come from extremely burning musicians for their art and their instrument.
Note that the cover is sublime and the notebook abounds in photomontage to the level of creativity of the band. If you didn’t get that this CD is a classic of all classics, a timeless and accomplished work of art that you must posses in order to listen again and again to better understand all of its wealth ... well you have wasted your time reading this review and will miss nothing but one of the best albums of this decade!!! You have been warned.
rick
