The reason for artwork showing just two people, is because this is a project put together by current Nightwish singer Floor Jansen and Pagan’s Mind guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad who were both involved with the ‘All Star Jam’ at Progpower USA Festival in 2007, and felt there was a creative spark between them. Although the two musicians had never met before, they soon discovered their mutual love for stripped down hard rock and decided to write some songs together. In 2008, still barely knowing each other, they composed an entire album’s worth of material, but they were both busy with their other bands so nothing ever came to fruition. But in 2017 Nightwish took a break, and Floor took the opportunity to contact Jorn to see if he was interested in resurrecting the project, and this is the result. Morty Black (TNT) handled bass duties, while drums were handled by Django Nilsen and Stian Kristoffersen (Pagan’s Mind), while there is a guest appearance by Floor’s sister Irene Jansen, singing a duet on “Drifting Islands”. And finally, Ronny Tegner from Pagan’s Mind played the piano on one song.
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to see Floor in concert will know what an incredible performer she is, and how she relishes singing the heavier material, and here the music has been stripped back to sound like a cross between classic Skunk Anansie (although not with quite the same level of venom generated by Skin) and Foo Fighters. This is punchy hard rock with a heavy bottom end, combined with plenty of hooks and passion. It is polished, it is crunching, and is loads of fun. The drums sound as if the heads are going to be split as they are being hit so hard, and the layered guitars and bass provide the perfect backdrop for one of the finest singers in the business to show what she can sound like when given a free rein. Overall this is an incredibly solid album which is a load of fun, and one only hopes they get enough time from their day jobs to produce a follow-up. After all, it only took ten years for this one, right?
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://www.northward.rocks/
https://www.nuclearblast.de/en/
