ALLEN/OLZON
“WORLDS APART”
Album Review by Syl Pdll

10/10

Allen/Olzon is another of the musical projects created under the signature of the Italian label Frontiers Records. As its name implies, it is made up of singers Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) and Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element), with the participation of Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall) as composer and producer of this album which has been titled Worlds Apart.

Never Die is the song with which this album begins and features the participation of Russell Allen. With some orchestral elements in combination with hard rock they create an interesting song that awakens a feeling of nostalgia for the changes that occur in the personal sphere.

Worlds Apart is the song of the same name on this album and was presented as one of the promotional singles and is the first song that features the participation of both Russell Allen and Anette Olzon. The combination of these singers has been a success since it combines the interpretive force of Allen with the melodic voice of Olzon in a song that relates that attempt to save a relationship.

I’ll Never Leave You is the third song on this album where Anette Olzon performs it solo. This Swedish singer has begun to shine for her melodic vocal performance, the instrumentation carried out by Magnus Karlsson shows the power of hard rock mixed with some harmonies that turn towards the progressive and symphonic and that has known how to highlight the strengths of Olzon.

The combination of voices between Allen and Olzon are present again in What If I Live and that was another of the advances by the Italian record label. On a musical level, it is a song that thrills not only for the vocal ability of these performers but for the instrumentation in which the voices are played to create a mystical harmony in combination with the well-executed guitar solos and the progressive overtones that it handles. throughout this song that deals with strength as the main theme.

The influence of symphonic metal with some progressive elements where Russell Allen appears in a solitary way is concentrated in Lost Soul. This song presents overtones of aggressiveness and power that are reinforced by Allen’s indisputable voice and in which Olzon acts as a vocal accompaniment in the chorus part. Magnus Karlsson demonstrates his technique in guitar execution in the guitar solo that is presented almost the end of the song, it is a spectacular song and one of the best on this album.

An atmosphere of mysticism created from the guitar and the keyboard introduces us to No Sign Of Life in which the duo by Allen/Olzon is presented again. With a more melodic metal-oriented instrumentation where the guitars take on a greater prominence than the drums, it is possible to appreciate how these singers play with different vocal ranges throughout the song, being in the chorus the part with the highest climax of the song. same that is indescribable.

One More Chance returns to the influence of symphonic metal and presenting a spectacular introduction that continues this melodic orientation by Anette Olzon making use of a high-pitched voice range in most of the song, while in the chorus part It adds more strength, denoting an accumulation of emotions in accordance with the lyrics of the song, requesting a second opportunity to continue the relationship.

With rhythm more attached to the roots of metal without losing that musical identity that has been forged throughout this album we find My Enemy. With a much simpler musical and lyrical structure compared to other songs, it again highlights the vocal abilities of Russell Allen and Anette Olzon. It is a catchy and rhythmic song with some characteristic elements of AOR metal.

Underpinning the final stretch of this album, those chords full of power and aggressiveness are taken up again in Who You Really Are, performed entirely by Russell Allen. It is not surprising the American’s vocal capacity when interpreting strongly without neglecting those melodic elements throughout the song and that the record materials that he has created alongside another great of the scene that was Jorn Lande evoke to our memory.

Cold Inside is the penultimate song on this album, the beginning of which takes up the elements of symphonic metal and shows Anette Olzon more vocally relaxed creating that atmosphere of nostalgia and sadness that is approached on a lyrical level and that throughout this album has described the different stages of a love relationship. This song could be considered as the ballad of this album and again denotes the vocal technique of this Swedish singer who through the projects she has done alongside Frontiers Records have helped to consolidate her musical career.

Who’s Gonna Stop Me Now is the last song from this Allen / Olzon debut album and it shows some progressive overtones through the guitar and bass chords and it has the participation of both vocalists and in which we can appreciate the vocal technique throughout this theme. A great closing for one of the albums that promises to be one of the best works both for the Italian record label and within the world scene.

Worlds Apart is an album that highlights the interpretive qualities of both Russell Allen and Anette Olzon who, guided by the experience of Magnus Karlsson, have created a masterpiece that generates different emotions in the listener in which both singers play somewhat antagonistic roles but that they complement each other without dulling each other. Hopefully this project will continue to offer us more material since it has been a great success on the part of the Italian record company where melodic metal can be combined with other musical genres creating an interesting fusion.

TRACKLIST

Never Die
Worlds Apart
I’ll Never Leave You
What If I Live
Lost Soul
No Sign Of Life
One More Chance
My Enemy
Who You Really Are
Cold Inside
Who’s Gonna Stop Me Now

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