Album Review — Sunstorm
Sunstorm — Afterlife
Spring Break is here and because of it life is not normal which means this week’s review will be a little different. Usually I listen to the record I’m reviewing multiple times through to get a sense of the record. With my routine being off this week we are going with a first time listen review.
This week’s record is “Afterlife” by Sunstorm. But it’s not the same Sunstorm you know. Sunstorm was basically Joe Lynn Turner’s project but he’s not a part of this album. Instead, it’s Ronnie Romero, who among other bands, also sang in Rainbow. And both Turner and Romero appear on the new Michael Schenker record if things weren’t confusing enough.
The idea of Sunstorm was for Joe Lynn Turner to have an outlet for what he does best — melodic hard rock. That hasn’t changed on this new record as Romero is right at home in this genre.
“Afterlife” starts with the title track and it’s just as you would expect. It’s a catchy hard rocker that Romero handles quite well. There’s a shorter keyboard solo followed by an extended guitar solo.
“One Step Closer” is a notch less heavy than the opener with an even more catchy chorus. Romero has an interesting voice. There’s a little Robin McAuley, a little Ronnie James Dio and even a little Joe Lynn Turner in there. That’s some quality influences.
“Swan Song” has a little Deep Purple sound at the start with the keyboard/guitar riff combo but falls more in line with the more melodic sound.
“Born Again” has a similar sound to “Afterlife”, being slightly heavier but still plenty of melody.
Frontiers music favorite Alessandro Del Vecchio plays a major part on “Afterlife” as he has on many of Frontiers’ releases. “Stronger” has that feel to it, reminding me of something we might hear from Hardline or one of the Castronovo projects. It’s a good track.
“I Found A Way” follows a similar patten as a lot of these tracks. Heavier verses with catchy choruses. This one has another great chorus but would have liked a little more in the verses.
“Lost Forever” is the first ballad on the record. I don’t have the songwriting credits, but my guess is this is a Del Vecchio special. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of his ballads and this one is pretty similar to what I’ve heard. It’s far from a bad song, it just doesn’t grab me.
“Far From Over” starts with a cool guitar part that leads me to think this will be a good one. My suspicion is correct as “Far From Over” is one of the better songs I’ve heard so far. The guitar part really carries the verses that turns this one from good to great.
“Here For You Tonight” starts with a bang but doesn’t quite deliver the goods. It’s a decent track, just doesn’t stand out as one of the better ones as it lacks the quality of chorus that most of the tracks have.
“Darkest Night” starts with one of those late 80s/early 90s big rock song riffs and delivers just what it teases from the start. It’s big hair arena anthem through and through. Bust out the Aqua Net for this one. Love it.
The album closes with “A Story That You Can Tell”. I’m happy to hear the album end on a high note. It’s got a quality riff, those background keys and Romero really brings the record home. A quality finish.
For a first listen I’m pleasantly surprised. I’m a big Joe Lynn Turner fan so I was disappointed to hear that he’s not involved in Sunstorm any longer. But Romero has brought a freshness to the project and “Afterlife” is quite good. I was leaning toward an 85 but the last two songs bump the score to 90.
You aren’t going to find much new here, especially if you are familiar with Del Vecchio’s work. But if something works then why mess with it?
90 out of 100
Track Listing
- Afterlife *
- One Step Closer *
- Swan Song
- Born Again
- Stronger *
- I Found A Way
- Lost Forever
- Far From Over *
- Here For You Tonight
- Darkest Night *
- A Story That You Can Tell *
*Best Songs