There really isn’t anything that can beat passionately delivered, blood ‘n’ thunder heavy metal. Part of the joy that accompanies the genre is the unquestioning loyalty demonstrated by devotees to the cause and, despite their name, Jaded Heart are a perfect example of an old school heavy metal band who live, breathe, and presumably defecate metal with scant regard for the aggravating vagaries of fashion. Recorded live in Cologne last October (2012), this seven track CD/live DVD aptly demonstrates why, no matter what comes along in the meantime, heavy metal remains a powerfully resilient genre.
Recorded on tour with Axel Rudi Pell, the band pull out all the stops on a short, well balanced set that demonstrates the strong sense of melody that lies at the heart of metal’s well armoured torso. The DVD is not only well filmed but features pristine sound (someone even took the trouble to mix the soundtrack into DTS 5.1 which, although the rear channels offer little beyond crowd noise and the occasional expansion of the keyboard sound, provides a much richer and fuller experience than the slightly wimpy stereo track) and a whole host of metal-fan pleasing extras including three bonus video clips (‘with you’, ‘your soul to keep’ and ‘watching you break’) as well as an interview with the band and a tour report. It is a well put together and generous collection from the band and the set is professionally delivered in a manner that will appeal to both the band’s fans and newcomers who generally appreciate classic heavy metal.
The show opens with the hard hitting pairing ‘Hero’ (complete with Europe-aping backing vocals) and the slippery groove of ‘Saints denied’, a track which sees the band getting heads banging with great enthusiasm. Johan Fahlberg is undoubtedly a talented individual, his vocals strong and memorable throughout, and the DVD allows his wild enthusiasm to flood from the screen in waves as the band tear out riff after riff. With nods to Priest, Maiden, The Scorpions, Europe and Whitesnake, this is hard-edged heavy metal at its best, and the band turn in a tightly honed performance that begs the question of why Jaded heart aren’t bigger. ‘Run and Hide’ gets the audience pumped and sees the band matching their gleaming riffs with powerful harmonised vocals. It’s exciting stuff and, perhaps more to the point, great fun as well, the band clearly enjoying every minute of their time on stage in front of an audience who clearly dig the band’s potent riffs and unashamedly huge choruses.
“You look beautiful tonight!” cries Johan before the band launch into ‘Fly away’, a song that gets the audience clapping with its thudding bass line and lead breaks before shifting gear into Iron maiden territory, Johan doing a fair Bruce Dickinson in the process. ‘Life is beautiful’ sees the keyboards take a lead before the band come thundering in once again and the song (a new one) proves to be a heavy metal monster with a strong rhythm and multi-part vocal that fits in perfectly with the band’s older material, whilst the mid-song solo gives Peter Ostros room to show off his not inconsiderable skills. ‘Justice is deserved’ is a lengthy number with a hefty kick and which, thanks to its tight riffs and the band’s passionate performance, passes in the blink of an eye. All to soon the set draws to a close with the melodic ‘With you’ which recalls the might and majesty of Queensryche at their ‘Empire’ peak. Taut, with a stunning vocal performance from Johan (Peter, Michael and Henning all doing sterling duty on backing vocals), it sees the band end their all-too-short set on a high and there is no doubt that the crowd at Cologne were thoroughly converted by the end of the show, even if they hadn’t previously supported the band.
You couldn’t really ask for a more complete package from Jaded heart. The extras include some promo clips which are well filmed and which demonstrate the band’s powerful studio sound (‘with you’ is particular highlight) and the interview only goes to demonstrate further that this is a band who make music for the pure love of it. Such passion and commitment is a huge part of the appeal of traditional heavy metal acts and Jaded Heart represent the soul of the genre – independent, proud, enthusiastic and down-to-earth they come across as likable, with a healthy sense of humour and, always underpinning the banter, possessed of a deep-rooted respect for the music they make and the genre as a whole. It is a pleasure to watch and the concert (which has now been blaring out of the speakers on repeat for the best part of two days) is brilliantly adrenalin charged, and a huge amount of fun. If a single drop of metallic blood flows through your veins, then Jaded Heart will leave you banging your head and grinning from ear to ear. ‘Live in Cologne’ is the perfect introduction to the band and will leave you wanting more – which is surely what you want form any good live performance.
