| John Norum returns with his latest
solo album Optimus some 5 years after his last
solo effort (Slipped Into Tomorrow). During this time John joined
Dokken for one mixed bag album (Long Way Home) and some tour dates.
From there John helped write and record the new Europe album and
it's safe to say Optimus was delayed until after that release
to help promotion.
For the uninitiated if you like ballsy hard rock then John Norum
is a very fine example of the genre. In his early days Johns guitar
work often saw him labelled as "the more versatile Yngwie"
which was selling Norum's playing and writing short as the guy
is more along the lines of updated Gary Moore (rock incarnation)
with the intensity of John Sykes.
John's solo albums have gone from the overtly commercial debut
'Total Control'; to the awesome riff fuelled yet melodic 'Face
The Truth' to the heavy as hell Slipped Into Tomorrow. So its
no real surprise to hear that 'Optimus' is Norum's heaviest solo
album to date with riffs that at times verge on Black Label Society
waters. However, where Zakk Wylde is happy to pummel you to death
with a repetitive riff and weak vocals, Norum will use these heavy
riffs as a basis and then add strong vocal melodies and gritty
solos.
Optimus has a short running time of 38 minutes which considering
the amount of time taken to record the album may be seen as rather
lacklustre, but to be fair John's solo albums have never been
70+ minute offerings, with the emphasis being "leave them
wanting more".
Opener 'Chase Down The Moon' is a modern sounding
track with a chunky riff and doesn't sound far away from the material
John penned on the Dokken album Long Way Home. The solo shows
that Norum has lost none of his fretboard prowess during the 5
year solo album gap, and the touch shown here is superb.
'Nailed To The Cross' will take a few spins
to sink in. Another heavy pounding riff, but there are moments
of pure melodic charm in the pre-chorus. Norum's voice here has
definitely improved over the years and to be honest suits this
material extremely well. Again the guitar solo impresses greatly,
being home to all the Norum guitar trademarks - taste, aggression,
superb vibrato and great structure.
Things get darker and heavier still for the massively detuned
'Better Day' which could easily have come off
Soundgarden's 'Superunknown' album, John's vocals here even sound
like Chris Cornell's. The riff as mentioned is dark and chunky,
and this may well help bring some younger fans into the Norum
fan base. The track breaks down for a nice melodic solo segment
(with wah inflections) before some octave movement leads to another
brooding riff over which Norum lays down some very vocal wah pedal
work - good stuff.
'One More Time' allows you time to cool off
and relax to the mellow strains with its Thin Lizzy overtones
(think Southbound). The lo-fi guitar tone for the main rhythm
guitar is a nice break from the distortion of the previous tracks,
and under John's vocals there is some nice lead lines buried in
the mix. The chorus has a laid back sassy swank to it leading
into a simple bluesy solo. 'One More Time' works extremely well
in the context of the other material and comes out as a highlight.
'Time To Run' makes its entrance with an eastern
tinge thanks to the open string melody then all hell breaks loose
with a mammoth down tuned riff. The track is not that far from
the material that appeared on John's last solo album (Slipped
Into Tomorrow) and at 4:13 clocks in as one the second longest
track on the album. Vocally the track is pretty uninspired considering
the good riff underneath that was there, but the short guitar
solo makes up some lost ground.
The instrumental title track comes out the blocks sounding like
something from prime Black Sabbath with the bass doubling the
guitar before moving into Michael Schenker waters thanks its melody
line.
The Sabbath vibe continues for Takin' The Blame which
is another massive riffer, the verse has a more modern slant with
definite nods to the Seattle scene of the 1990's. The chorus is
one of the strongest on offer and will be in your head for days
after.
Change Will Come shows Norum's skills at building
guitar layers that work well to create a huge cinematic feel.
The track opens with the layered guitar work before moving into
simplistic strummed guitars. The track has an eastern almost Uli
Jon Roth slant in some of the guitar lines, however the vocal
melody is of a more modern nature also Norum's solo is one of
the best on offer.
Forced kicks some almighty ass thanks to its
ball busting riff. The track reminded me a little of the quality
recently displayed on last Damned Nation album - a very good thing.
Again there is a very modern overtone to the track which may throw
off some older Norum fans, however, give it time and the groove
will become irresistible, another highlight.
The closing track Solitude sees Norum again
in instrumental mode. This is home to classic Norum guitar work
and melodies, and the guitar tone here is superb. Norum's classy
touch and vibrato shine through ever note making this another
highlight.
To sum up Optimus is probably not the album hardcore Norum fans
expected (myself included), the more modern nature of many of
the tracks may take some by surprise, but give it time and it
all falls into place. I was initially gonna shoot this album down
but found myself coming back to it to the point where I can say
it's the best thing Norum has done since Face The Truth.
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