Artist: Sunstorm
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2009
Duration: 49:14
Rating: 4/5
Sunstorm is a German-American project in which the name Joe Lynn Turner towers over everyone else by a mile. He’s the man who left a major mark on the rock scene as the singer of Rainbow. “House Of Dreams” is already the project’s second album, following the self-titled debut from 2006. Who would’ve thought the thing would survive, given how many other commitments the people involved have.
It’s a batch of songs that came from other writers’ hands. Mostly the brothers James Martin and Tom Martin (the first three tracks on the album, the title track) , while three tracks are once again the work of former Survivor member Jim Peterik (Say You Will, Gutters Of Gold, Tears On The Pages), who was already the target of “copying”, or rather reworking, on the first Sunstorm album. Save A Place in Your Heart and Forever Now are co-written by Joe Lynn Turner and Paul Sabu, and the closing, fantastic ballad Walk On is a collaboration between Joe Lynn Turner and Desmond Child. Joe Lynn Turner performed I Found Love ages ago, on his first tour promoting his solo studio debut “Rescue You”. So what you get on this record is “old” and never released.
So: old songs whose originals go back to the eighties, dusted off, played anew, gently rearranged, with a modern production. A must for every one of you who gets fired up by traditional eighties AOR sounds. American in origin, let’s be clear about that.
The key factor here is producer Dennis Ward (bass, Pink Cream 69), who realized he couldn’t build the wall of sound out of the “reinforced concrete” steel of the German approach to cranking out guitar riffs, the way he does in Pink Cream 69. Instead he put the building blocks together on an equal footing in the sonic picture, hunting for the right sonic leveler, where the background behind Joe Lynn Turner’s front-and-center vocals is shaped equally by the flow of keyboards and guitar riffs. An AOR approach. Made to the taste of not just fans of the eighties approach, but written first and foremost to fit Joe Lynn Turner like a glove, which lets his voice come through with maximum expressiveness. Turner kicks it with feeling and full-on liveliness, and his voice is the first element of the Sunstorm project that grabs all of the listener’s attention. His melodic clean singing carries that signature velvety, throaty coating in just the right spots, and Joe Lynn Turner masterfully doses this trait that’s so uniquely his. That creates incredible dynamics, he manages to bring passion and emotion to life, and he stubbornly resists the urge to pile on sensitive subtlety in the ballads. In short, a seasoned old tomcat who effortlessly shifts his colors the whole way through, like a true chameleon.
The songs written by Jim Peterik in particular carry orchestral arrangements, which give them a ceremonial feel on top of the pomp that’s already there, the kind that’s pretty much expected and demanded from Peterik as a writer. Eighties isn’t Peterik? You still have doubts? Honestly, I’d say the ballads Say You Will and Tears On The Pages edge out the tracks of rockin’ debauchery. But when it comes to tipping the scales between the ballad-leaning songs and the rock pulse-raisers in terms of quality and execution, it’s Walk On that tilts it toward the ballads. It’s the album’s peak, and a closer the record definitely deserves.
Anyway, this album will give you goosebumps from the very first moment. The first four tracks are true AOR anthems and they practically compete over which one will grab your attention with the most melodic polish and the most pomp locked into killer choruses. The album spreads its rock wings and only settles down with Say You Will. The adrenaline surges in your blood when the guys come back with the upbeat rocker Forever Now and with the title track House Of Dreams in general. The magic of the eighties, brought back to life!
You’d think Frontiers Records wouldn’t be interested in pouring more money into the Sunstorm project, but clearly the right people are in the right positions, people who know how to look after the AOR tradition and how to bring it closer to younger generations too. You’ll pick your favorites this time yourselves. The songs are equally strong in how they define the compositions, and there’s no unnecessary “filler” on this album.
“House Of Dreams” is an album that all fans of Joe Lynn Turner’s solo work, of the Martin brothers’ songwriting principles, and of course even of classic Survivor are going to snap up. Even though the songwriters are Americans, the production and the way the material is understood and executed (the approach) is European (Careful! Not British!). So even fans of the European approach to melodic hard rock won’t be able to stay indifferent to “House Of Dreams”. Especially those of you who know Place Vendome, and even those who get fired up by the melodicism of somewhat more scorching bands like Brother’s Firetribe or Leverage.
Lineup
Joe Lynn Turner – vocals
Uwe Reitenauer – guitar
Thorsten Koehne – lead guitar
Guenther Werno – keyboards
Dennis Ward – bass, backing vocals, additional guitars
Chris Schmidt – drums
Production
Dennis Ward
Track list
1. Divided
2. Don’t Give Up
3. The Spirit Inside
4. I Found Love
5. Say You Will
6. Gutters of Gold
7. Save A Place In Your Heart
8. Forever Now
9. Tears On The Pages
10. House of Dreams
11. Walk On
