Norwegian metallic rockers Vagabond were formed in 1993 by vocalist Jørn Lande, guitarist Ronni Lé Tekrö, bassist Morten "Black" Skaget, keyboardist Dag Stokke and drummer Steinar Krokstad. The band split up after only 2 albums. The band consisted of members from Ark, TNT, Masterplan and a bunch of others.

VAGABOND (1994) EMI

There are so many contributing factors in making this band a highly interesting one. My 2 main reasons are that all of the members are well known from other acclaimed bands, and they are from Norway. Their CD's are also pretty hard to come by these days, thus making them collector's items. But none of these factors are any guarantee for an interesting CD. Now, I'm not going to try an tell you that Vagabond can't create good music. That is just not the point, as all of these musicians are highly skilled. And everyone knows how much I love the voice of Jørn Lande. Still, I have to admit that this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, after the initial spins. But the CD grew fast on me, and soon it was inevitable not to notice the stellar work these guys put into their debut album. So if you are looking for something outside of the already worn out metal mold, then maybe this is for you too. These guys blend together a mix that brings my thoughts towards the 70's. Think Pink Floyd, think commercial pop/rock, think musicals, think AOR, think keyboards, think innovation, think fun! Funk, hard rock, blues, psychedelic, it's all here. It is cool to hear Ronni having fun with his instrument. And listening to Jørn is always a pleasure. It's obvious that the band wanted to do something of their own, and they did this well! The band also released 2 singles from this CD, but I have no idea if they gained any airplay, or success back then. I also have no idea why track 12 is listed as a bonus track. I do know that the Japanese version has yet another track.

Killer tracks: Key To The Rainbow, Gold In The Air, Mrs. Hippie Blues, We Bring The Sun To You

A HUGE FAN OF LIFE (1995) HIGH TIMES/SONET

Vagabond's second album shows the band taking another musical trip. And this one is even farther away from what you'd expect from these guys, given their background. But at the same time, this is exactly what you'd expect from them! I can't help to think that this is sort of what TNT was going for when they recorded 'Firefly', but given their already self-made parameters, they could not take things as far as Vagabond can. Well, no disrespect to Tony Harnell, but I'm glad Ronni got to do these tracks together with Jørn! He is delivering some of his best work on this album. Just listen to songs like "City Inbetween". GOOSEBUMPS!! The band also gives props to their rock-heroes in "Jammin' In Heaven". And this is what's so special with these guys, they can do just about anything, and it will still sound like Vagabond. It's too bad that these albums are so hard to find, because this band would have deserved to be heard by more people. I find their albums to be very pleasurable listens.

Killer tracks: Angels Serenade, City Inbetween, Follow Me

Jørn Lande guest appearances:

Avantasia - 'Lost In Space Part 1'

Avantasia - 'Lost In Space Part 2'

Avantasia - 'The Scarecrow'

Ronni Lé Tekrö guest appearances:

Carnivora - 'Judas'

RELATED ARTISTS:

TNT, ARK, Wild Willy's Gang, Jorn, Masterplan, Mundanus Imperium, Millenium, Yngwie Malmsteen