The Revenge

The Revenge, released on 11 May 2007, is the second album, on which Allen/Lande set Russell Allen's power against Jørn Lande's shading over thick guitars and keyboards. The two personalities do not merely oppose each other; they give the songs richer drama and weight. Magnus Karlsson again wrote and produced, and Jaime Salazar again drummed — the same personnel, pushed toward a harder, fuller sound. After the debut's unexpected success, expectations for a follow-up were high from the start. Beginning with the title track, the songs move on big choruses and taut development. Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Angra, Place Vendome) mixed it, giving a heavier finish than the debut. Track four, “Master of Sorrow,” puts Lande's voice to the fore and is still named as the album's signature song. From the title track into “Obsessed” and “Victory,” through “Just a Dream” and “Under the Waves” to “When Time Doesn't Heal,” the rise and fall never lets up across twelve songs. A record that ties a glamorous pairing to genuinely solid songwriting.