ToJa - review added 10th September 2009
Album Review: Train Of Life (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and Rob Halford tribute acts
German rockers ToJa are now on their 3rd album. Train Of Life follows The Spirit Of... (2006) and First Step (1999).
The band was formed by former members of another German band, Syder. Thomas 'Tommy' Rinn (vocals, bass, guitar and percussion), Jan 'JJ' Thielking (guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals, percussion and programming) started the group and were joined by Andy Ecker for the first 2 releases.
After his departure the pair started work on this latest album. They ended up hiring drummer Tim Dierks and another former Syder member, Oliver 'Ole' Dietz on bass. Production of the album was handled by Marc Bugnard, former guitarist with Roko.
ToJa's sound strays from the straight and narrow more times than a politician answering a difficult question. One minute they are playing a pure-bred heavy in the vain of Judas Priest or Saxon, the next they sound like Toto, Iced Earth, David Gray or a suspicious opera. There's symphonic beauty and acoustic serenity mixed with double kick drums and spine tingling guitar solos. To be honest it's hard to know what the hell you are listening to sometimes. It's nice to have an album with variation but this doesn't just have different approaches, it has different genres.
The driving force behind the musical insanity is the voice of Tommy. He really does sound like Rob Halford at times - he could get a job in a tribute act if nothing else. He is a talented guy, but the link to the Judas Priest front man is hard to get away from.
The album opens with the title track, a straight ahead number, but the second song 'No Cross' starts with what sounds like, of all things, Italian monks chanting. The rhythm and riff that follows are riotously catchy though so the confusion is soon forgotten. 'Just A Love Song' is operatic, acoustic and mellow; it's like standing in an opium factory watching a performance of The Marriage of Figaro.
'First Love' goes all a cappella at the start, but morphs into a solid, if mixed-up, rocker. 'End Of A Nation' is a beautiful track with progressive, er, progressions and some serene hooks. Again, it's all a touch confused but, if you can weed the wheat from the chaff, it's an amazing track. 'All Of My Life' is an epic entry that's like a collision between Primal Fear and Guns 'N' Roses. 'Slave To The Machine' is pretty awful, whilst 'Hold My Hand' is stunning and too-chilled all at once. 'Night To Remember' is more straight ahead. 'Circle Of Lies' starts like the sad music from Terminator before mutating into a vast symphonic finale.
I absolutely adore snippets of this album, but the overall effect is confusing. You really don't know if you're coming or going as the album progresses. You can't even tell by the colour. The result is somewhere between breathtaking brilliance and mentalist crud. ToJa deserve respect for this album and, if they could expand the stunning parts, they'd have a real classic on their hands, but it's just too busy for me.
Check out... The brilliance and madness of it all.
Track List:
01: Train Of Life
02: No Cross
03: Just A Love-Song
04: First Love
05: End Of A Nation
06: All Of My Life
07: Slave To The Machine
08: Hold My Hand
09: Night To Remember
10: Circle Of Lies
Label: Avenue Of Allies Music
Artist's website(s): ToJa
