Jaded Heart – Stand Your Ground

Jaded Heart
Stand Your Ground
Massacre Records
November 27, 2020
51:19

Jaded Heart were founded in Duisburg in 1990. Only bassist Michael Müller remains from this time. Otherwise the lineup was changed again and again. The band is now internationally positioned, musicians from Germany, Sweden and Japan are now making music together. The line-up has been constant for six years now. Before that, some of the albums were recorded with guest musicians. Thirteen pieces have been released so far. The so far last “Devil’s Gift” (2018) somehow passed me by. But the predecessor “Guilty By Design” really impressed me. The fourteenth album “Stand Your Ground” has two premieres. For the first time the musicians have renounced the use of keyboards. And they worked together with an outside lyricist (Johnny Lindberg).

Although Jaded Heart play without keyboard sounds on this album and thus steer towards a harder sound, “Stand Your Ground” begins with a short intro. This is not a novelty, the last intro before that can be found on the 2009 “Perfect Insanity” and was still extremely keyboard heavy. In “Inception” the guitars clearly dominate. And with the seamless transition to the title track “Stand Your Ground”, it feels more like a part of this one. That would certainly be a good start to the concert. Especially because “Stand Your Ground” shows the band’s new self-image. The two guitarists hit us with the riffs. And spurred on by the drumming, they go at a high speed. With this they will probably immediately attract every fan in the crowd to their side. Of course, Johan Fahlberg’s rough voice fits like a fist in the eye. After a quick start, “One Last Time” is often in the mid-tempo range. Instead, the musicians really start shooting again with “Reap What You Sow” or “Hero To Zero”. And so it goes merrily on. Mid-tempo pounders (“Kill Your Masters”) alternate with high-speed metal (“Embrace A Demon”, “Self Destruction”). Jaded Heart always attaches great importance to sophisticated melodies. I missed it on “Guilty By Design”, the metal ballad. “Stay” compensates for that even more. The great hymn “Inside A Hurricane” is then the icing on the cake at the end of an extremely successful album.

The fourteenth album of this international metal connection is definitely one of the best in the thirty-year history of the band. Diverse and original heavy metal. Not using the mostly softening keyboard passages was certainly an exceptionally good decision. You can hear it clear that this occupation is used to working together. After all, they have been playing together like this for six years. A pleasant continuity. The only downer, we will probably not be able to experience this power live soon.

Jaded Heart – Stand Your Ground (Lyric Video): https://youtu.be/HIJI_xiLqKE

Lineup:

Johan Fahlberg – Vocals
Peter Östros – Guitars
Masahiro Eto – Guitars
Michael Müller – Bass
Bodo Stricker – Drums

Track list:

• Inception
• Stand Your Ground
• One Last Time
• Reap What You Sow
• Break Free
• Hero To Zero
• Kill Your Masters
• Embrace A Demon
• Hopelessly Addicted
• Self Destruction
• Stay
• Lost In Confusion
• Inside A Hurricane