LOVE IS AN ILLUSION

Lana Lane really hit the ground running with their first album 1995. The sound of the band would continue to evolve over the years, but already this debut was a fully mature album; it sounds very confident, competent, and potent. Full of very strong material, very well performed, recorded, and produced. The melodies are always powerful, without ever being too catchy, and the voice of Lana Lane is simply fantastic. Some of these songs would go on to become mainstays in the band's live set.

Compared to later albums, Love Is An Illusion might perhaps be the most "commercial" in some respects, and it could probably be fairly characterized as (progressive) Pop Rock. But while this might scare some Prog fans off, there are enough of progressive elements to please this particular fan. The backing band, consisting of members of the Symphonic Prog band Rocket Scientists, do allow themselves space for some exquisite keyboard and guitar solos. But admittedly, Erik Norlander did not yet utilize his impressive palette of keyboard sounds in Lana Lane at this point, as he would do on future Lana Lane albums (and even more on his solo releases).

Note that there two versions of this album. Make sure you get the re-issue that features three extra tracks, especially as these extra tracks are some of the best. However, if one listens carefully, one will notice that these extra tracks were recorded at a later date and thus are more representative of the future of the band. This future partly involved a bit more Prog and more Metal. Most Prog fans undoubtedly prefer later releases over this one, but this is nothing short of excellent!

A solid four starts!