Norwegian Rock Stars, singer Jorn Lande and guitarist Trond Holter (aka Teeny of WIG WAM), have created a new concept album about the life of Count Vlad the III, Prince of Wallachia, widely known as Vlad, The Impaler or by his patronymic name Vlad Dracul(a).
The whole story explores the inner struggle inside the multifaceted and engorging character that this mysterious 15th Century personality was, while also taking into account some of the metaphysical aspects that passed into literature, forming the whole basis of the vampire mythos.
On the album Jorn Lande– who impersonates the main character Dracula - shares lead vocal duties with Norwegian singer Lena Fløitmoen (representing Mina/Lucy from the Bram Stoker book).
The duets feature Dracula and his women, which in the original Bram Stoker story is centered around Dracula’s first true love Mina (when he was a human before he sold his soul to the devil and became a vampire).
The drama of the story reveals Dracula’s inner battle, where he still remembers what true love was, and as he wandered the Earth for centuries with a thirst for blood, his loneliness and desire to be able to love again has led him to the brink of insanity.
In the original Bram Stoker version, he leaves Transylvania by ship and when he meets Lucy's best friend, she reminds him so much of his first love Mina, that he becomes obsessed.
Dracula sees her as some kind of "holy grail", too good to turn into a vampire.
Musically, “Swing of Death” is not like a typical rock opera or musical, since it has no storyteller or long instrumental parts or intros.
It is an album that gets to the point with no detours and even if it exposes some diverse musical landscapes, it does include catchy and melodic songs with commercial radio potential.
Musical influences come mostly from Meat Loaf and Queen with the ghost of Alice Cooper thrown in plus some Classic and more contemporary Hard Rock elements.
The lyrics are not limited to the old days of Bram Stoker’s era and could easily be a Dracula story of today.