JORN LANDE: 'It's Every Rock Singer's Dream To Be Able To Work With Someone Like TONY IOMMI'

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, Jørn Lande spoke about his collaboration with Tony Iommi on the BLACK SABBATH guitarist's upcoming solo album, "From The Dark". The Norwegian singer is credited as co-writer on all of the LP's eight tracks, and is joined on the album by Iommi, drummer Karl Brazil, who has worked with pop icons Robbie Williams and James Blunt, and U.K.-based bassist Becky Baldwin, best known as a recent addition to Danish metal veterans MERCYFUL FATE.

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "From The Dark", which is due on October 23 via BMG, Lande said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a lot of work, back and forth. Well, I think when you write original music, you wanna put your stamp on it, or you wanna make some kind of an imprint. I think the times we live in, it's quite hectic and people are running all over the place like rabbits and working with each other, which is not wrong; it's just the times that we live in. But both me and Tony felt that we have to take the extra time to make sure it's right. And also, if you look at his legacy and also my history, we did a lot of records and we worked on so many songs over the years that you don't wanna copy yourself either. You just wanna bring something to the table. And the only thing you can do is you can reflect on the past and be in the present and reflect on that, and then have thoughts about what's to come. So there's a lot of darkness in some of the songs, with whatever obstacles life brings, but then there's a lot of hope as well."

Elaborating on how he approached writing the lyrics for "From The Dark", Lande said:  "It's [Tony's] album. It is our work, but it's his album. So as an old fan, I tried to, of course, do my best. I wanted to put my best effort doing this, 'cause this is, I guess, in the rock and metal scene, probably the biggest achievement or every rock singer's dream, to be able to work with someone like Tony Iommi. It's the godfather. He's kind of the reason why so many bands started in this business. So it was important to make sure it was a great record, but [also] that I did my best with it. And I think taking the time, that was essential. Analyzing things. Also when writing lyrics and coming up with melody lines, it was good to take the time also since I'm not an Australian, native or English or American, Canadian, whatever, I need more time to think about my words and stuff when I write. But then again, that can also be a, a blessing because when it's not your native language, you take different turns and twists and you take the liberty to use combinations that you wouldn't maybe think. And also sometimes when there's a sentence and it maybe sounds a bit weird, Mike Exeter, the producer, he would sometimes push the talkback button in the studio and he would say, 'What did you just sing? What does it mean?' And then when I explain it, 'Oh, I get it. That's brilliant, that is,' he would say sometimes. Other times he could say, 'Eh, it's not something you would say in England, for sure.' And then he might throw back some kind of a suggestion. But other times he would love it, and we would just keep it as is. But I think that's also an advantage, that you can play with words in different way than native Brits or Australians or Canadians or Americans. So, that's an advantage as well for me. But I need the extra time to sit with it."

Lande went on to say that a lot of "teamwork" went into the making of "From The Dark", "the way we used to in the old days when you would be together with the guitar player or with the band, and you would actually compose stuff," he explained. "I think a lot of things today are kind of fabricated on the computer, and then you're gonna learn how to play it later. Which works when you have backing tracks and stuff like that. And a lot of people use that, but we just wanted to make a proper album the old-school way and take the necessary time to make it great."

Speaking about some of the musical and lyrical inspirations he drew from for the making of "From The Dark", Lande said: "When you listen to the first single, 'World Alone', it's easy to hear my Ronnie [James] Dio influence there. It opens up with, 'Hey stranger, you run into the wall,' and that's the first thing. 'Black shadow rises, looming over your life,' which is kind of the first statement. But the way that song is, it's very Dio-esque, in a way. But then again, I'm doing a different twist as the song goes along, and when you get into the chorus, it's more like a typical Jørn thing or something I would do when I write some of my own Jørn albums, which don't necessarily remind you of something specific in rock. But some of that sounds more — it's more, I would say, original in that sense. But I think it's important that you bring the best of what you brought with you, the best from within, and sometimes that means you pick up bits [from your influences]."

Asked what Tony meant by saying that the first two tracks that Jørn brought to the project completely changed his original vision for it, Lande said: "Well, from the beginning I was asked if I wanted to contribute to the album and maybe work on a track or two. And then the plan was to have several guest singers on the album. I guess also it was a bit hanging in the air because he had been working on some of the arrangements, which had like a more symphonic, orchestral kind of a thing going. So he was also into some of that, the idea to do something instrumental. So I think he ended up then with some kind of a combo there that he wanted to do several singers, but with the symphony orchestra kind of thing to go with the darker, doomy piece of music and his heavy riffs and all that. But then after I did the first track, which was called 'Beyond The Dead', which is — it's thoughts about what's gonna happen after you pass and the kind of despair in that and how you wanna go on and how you're gonna miss life. And there's a lot of darkness, but there's a lot of hope also in it. But it's kind of a direct song. Tony loved it, and they all — his manager, everybody — thought this was really a strong track. So, they sent me another one, and the second track was, I think, 'Stormwatcher', which is one of my favorite songs off of the album — a great, heavy song, with a maritime, ship-in-storm type of topic, like a ship crushing through the waves. And after those two tracks, they just decided that [using] one singer [on the entire album] instead of several singers [was the right way to proceed]."

"From The Dark" will be available in several deluxe vinyl and CD formats. The double LP edition will be manufactured in four colors, available from different retailers. Cut at 45rpm on double vinyl for optimum dynamic range the deluxe, gatefold package is premium black card with a die cut of Tony's signature cross, that holds beneath a suitably dark and detailed, illustrative journey across the album. Part visible when in situ and with the full image revealing as the inner sleeve is drawn out. There will also be a CD Amazon exclusive that also has the same die cut sleeve and a deluxe 32-page CD media book edition that includes two bonus tracks.

Lande previously performed with Iommi and other surviving HEAVEN & HELL members Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice at a very special tribute to their fallen bandmate, Ronnie James Dio, at the 2010 High Voltage festival at Victoria Park in London, England. The musicians were also joined by legendary former DEEP PURPLE vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes.

In 2010, the now-58-year-old Lande released "Dio", a tribute to the late BLACK SABBATH, DIO and RAINBOW singer Ronnie James Dio.

Photo credit: Tina K