Album Review — Sunstorm

Sunstorm — The Road to Hell

Let’s be frank — Sunstorm is bascially a Joe Lynn Turner solo project that has a band name attached to it. I’m not sure why Frontiers Records decided to go that direction, but it is what it is.

Turner has released some monster records over the years that are real standouts in my collection. The three Rainbow albums in the early 80s, his debut solo album (a personal favorite) short stints with Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple and more than a few supergroup projects.

The Road To Hell is the fifth release under the Sunstorm moniker. Turner has been quite active over the last decade but the Sunstorm records are my favorite. Turner can sing anything (and he has) but I think this melodic hard rock is his sweet spot. He’s got that Perry-like quality in his voice which is highlighted in the catchy choruses but has enough growl to handle the heavier tunes. From the first track to the last, that is exactly what this record is.

The album kicks off with a “Be Good To Yourself” kind of rocker “Only The Good Will Survive”. It sets the tone for what’s to come. Song after song is a barrage of relentless hooks. Here and there you get a little something from Turner’s previous work. One example is the Purple sounding keyboard in “Blind The Sky”.

There’s one break from the rock and it’s the ballad “Everywhere”. It’s a little predictable but Turner sounds great over the opening piano and then into the power ballad chorus.

The album finishes strong and back to the big hooks and choruses. “State of the Heart” sounds like Survivor and the album closer “Still Fighting” ends on the same note as the album started.

There are a lot of positives to this record. Turner still sounds great after all these years. He is at home in these songs and his voice is highlighted on every track. The band sounds good and there isn’t a weak song on the record.

If there is a negative it’s that this might be too much of a good thing. There’s very little variance from song to song. My favorite albums over the years have movement throughout the record. It takes you somewhere — whether it’s the change in time signature from song to song, change in mood — something that’s makes the album feel like a story. That is lacking here. It’s just one big hook after another.

That being said, I really can’t complain about this record. It’s one of my favorite singers sounding a good as ever in the genre he fits best. If you are a fan of Journey and Survivor and the like, you’ll really like this record. And for fans of JLT, if you like his more melodic stuff this will make you very happy.

Grade — 90 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Only The Good Will Survive *
2. The Road To Hell
3. On The Edge *
4. Blind The Sky *
5. My Eyes On You
6. Future To Come
7. Everywhere
8. Resurrection
9. Calling *
10. State Of The Heart *
11. Still Fighting *

*Best Songs