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LANA LANE - QUEEN OF THE OCEAN

The international Queen of Symphonic Rock has announced the release of her fourth studio album. QUEEN OF THE OCEAN is a fireworks display of symphonic progressive art rock and metal, combining diversified arrangements with crystal clear hook lines and melodic vocals which leave an indelible impression. Lana Lane's typical trademark is her soaring vocals, which the press describe as "clear" and "expressive", as well as "dramatic" and "angelic". QUEEN OF THE OCEAN follows in the noble footsteps of Lana Lane's three previous studio albums, LOVE IS AN ILLUSION, CURIOUS GOODS and GARDEN OF THE MOON. After an eventful year in 1998, which included the release of a LIVE IN JAPAN Album, the 33 minute long EP ECHOES FROM THE GARDEN, a BALLAD COLLECTION CD, as well as numerous live activities by the Los Angeles - based band, the new album shows that they are still bursting with energy as 1999 gets underway and that their creativity remains boundless.

A large part of the brilliant result must be credited to producer Erik Norlander, Lana's longtime musical and personal partner. Norlander produced QUEEN OF THE OCEAN in his own Walden West Recorder Studio near Los Angeles, and he also played all the keyboard parts on the album. Norlander explains that this time, he used Mellotron and Minimoog keyboards - cult instruments since the early Seventies - and the inimitable sound of an original Hammond organ - more than ever before. In contrast to the previous albums, for which the tracks of the individual instruments were often recorded in very different studios, Lana Lane decided that this time all of the recording sessions would take place within her own small microcosm. The album's guitar parts were played by a veritable six-string armada. The flagship is Neil Citron, the band's masterful lead guitarist and a musician of breathtaking technique with a definitive feeling for melodic hooks. Female guitarist Danelle Kern was responsible for the heavy rhythm guitar, and Mark McCrite added his own colourful acoustic parts.

However, job allocation wasn't all that strictly adhered to, with Citron playing an excellent rhythm guitar on the tracks "Rainbow's End" and "Frankenstein Unbound". The most renowned Lana Lane band member is certainly bass player Tony Franklin, whom insiders will know from his time with The Firm or Blue Murder (feat. John Sykes). Franklin plays a mean bass on QUEEN OF THE OCEAN, giving the album, in combination with the accentuated drumming of Tommy Amato, a very individual, atmospheric sound.

QUEEN OF THE OCEAN audibly follows an unusual, very demanding concept, in which numerous guitar licks are combined with two or more string instruments, wind instruments or Moog parts. You find contrapuntal passages alongside polyphonic lines. And Franklin's grooving bass enhances the songs with a flowing movement. The crowning point of all the songs is, however, the impressive vocals of Lana Lane. Her style of singing combines technique with passion, resulting in an inimitable voice as every note she sings reflects not only her love of all kinds of melodic rock music, but also her affinitity for the great jazz and big band singers of the world. And Lana is always interested in new sources of inspiration. As a result, on QUEEN OF THE OCEAN -- as she had previously done on GARDEN OF THE MOON -- she worked together with the Chapman Stick musician Don Schiff and his unusual instrument, whose contribution makes "Let Heaven In" an impressive audio experience. In addition, the new album includes an excellent symphonic version of "Without You", a song by Lana's cousin, the glam rocker Davy Vain. The fantastic cover art is again provided by Polish surrealist artist Jacek Yerka, who has painted the incredible covers for all of Lana's six releases to date.

QUEEN OF THE OCEAN shows another, exciting facet of Lana Lane. While her 1995 debut album, LOVE IS AN ILLUSION, is a wonderful Hard Rock/Heavy Metal work, its successor, CURIOUS GOODS, was a mixture of Progressive Metal and Art Rock. GARDEN OF THE MOON, the band's third album, virtually combined the two directions and added symphonic arrangements. The album ended a trilogy and paved the way for Lana Lane's first Japanese tour, during which the band's first live album, logically named LIVE IN JAPAN, was recorded. In the meantime, there was the EP ECHOES FROM THE GARDEN, a collection which included extra tracks and alternate versions from the GARDEN OF THE MOON production sessions. QUEEN OF THE OCEAN closes the circle, for which fans of this genre have made Lana Lane their hero. And now the band is on their way to new musical horizons and the "Queen" of Symphonic Artrock and Metal will continue to bestow new, exciting ideas upon her kingdom. Watch out for more, watch out for the Queen of the Ocean!

ABOUT THE BONUS TRACK:

This album has been paired with the bonus track "Rhapsody" which originally appeared on the 'Echoes from the Ocean' EP in Japan and later as the bonus track to the 'Secrets of Astrology' album in Europe. But the song "Rhapsody" was written, performed and recorded during the 'Queen of the Ocean' sessions, so it seems only fitting to include here the rest of the regular album tracks.

ALSO NOTE: All of Lana's releases are produced by her husband, keyboardist ERIK NORLANDER. Click on the link to jump to Erik's Mindawn page, and also check out Erik's band, ROCKET SCIENTISTS.

Lana's official artist site: http://www.lanalane.com