It must be said that many felt a very dark worry when they learned that Timo Tolkki, Statovarius' former guitarist, was going to take over the Allen/Lande project, an association of Russel Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) and Jorn Lande (ex-Ark and Masterplan). Indeed, how can we not feel some cold sweats at the idea of what could bring to the famous duo, the man to whom we owe the not very interesting albums of Ring Of Fire and Avalon.
Timo Tolkki was not stingy with his efforts here since in addition to composing, he also took care of the six strings, bass and synthesizers. And "The Great Divide" is worth the detour and not only for the always sharp voices of the two men.
This opus is dominated by melodic Hard Rock tracks in a more punchy version than the many mid-tempi of the previous album, melodic Hard Rock tinted 80's close to Dio's band and sometimes Pretty Maids, but mostly, of course, in the Stratovarius sauce. Only three tracks come out of this category, two ballads, including one in Power version of the kind that Lande could have offered solo - the first being more moving than the second which sometimes borders on boredom - and a Heavy Old School piece that could have found its place on Rainbow's "Rising".
So Timo Tolkki didn't damage the good reputation of the Russel/Jorn couple. This "Great Divide" doesn't insult the band's past albums and should satisfy the fans while eventually gleaning some new aficionados on the side of Stratovarius fans.