Known as one of the best voices in Rock, Joe Lynn Turner needs no introduction. He’s also known for fronting the most melodic and poppy versions of the bands he’s been in. Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen for instance even though Deep Purple and HTP being the exception to the rule. His other projects such as his solo albums and say Sunstorm has always come with huge AOR structures and I guess he’s quite known as an AOR/Melodic Rock singer. That’s why the news that he had teamed up with song writer and producer Peter Tägtgren (Pain, Hypocrisy) came as a surprise given the guy’s a Metal musician. Said project came to be another solo record from JLT, his first since Second Hand Life (2007) but from what I gather, it’s a JLT/Tägtgren project through and through.
The record was recorded in Sweden by Swedish musicians. Drums were done by Peter’s son Sebastian, bass and guitar tracks by Jonas Kjellgren with Love Magnusson (Dynazty, Dampf, Crowne) laying down all the guitar solos except on two songs and all songs were written by Tägtgren/JLT. In all honesty, I was a bit surprised that Dynazty wasn’t booked as the musicians here as they’ve been Turner’s backing band on his recent Swedish tours. Beforehand, this looked like a really interesting project. How would it sound? JLT going Metal? Death Metal? Tägtgren writing AOR songs?
The opening title-track and leading single blasts away like a wounded elephant running through the jungle. Fast, hard, heavy and aggressive with industrial undertones the song brings out some edgy, Judas Priest-ish riffing and a hard-hitting and ballsy beat. It’s kicking, ferocious and powerful but with JLT’s melodic melodies on top and a chorus that’s damn catchy and hits like a ton of bricks. This is brilliant. “Black Sun” kicks off with a roaring, Jon Lord-like organ which brings a Deep Purple twist. It then bounces away with a Classic Rock meets Pain and Rammstein type rhythm, very rhythmic and a raw and gritty riff and darkening keyboards. The vocal melodies are again quite melodic reminiscent of his Rainbow and Yngwie days with another direct and concise refrain. Good one.
On a slower tempo latest single “Tortured Soul” is melancholic and dark yet heavy and pounding. While the verses are a bit more held back the rest of the song is more bombastic and in-your-face. Orchestrated sublime keyboards brings on an eerie soundscape and the edgy riffs and muscular rhythms builds up the heaviness. The “oooo ooo oooo – tortured soul” chorus is dramatic and instantly catchy. Great stuff. The straight forward and stone-hard “Rise Up” is aggressive Metal with lots of edge, grit and a distorted bass. It’s uptempo, upbeat and pumping with another striking main melody and a firey chorus. Very good.
“Dark Night Of The Soul” comes on like an industrial Metal fueled power ballad of sorts. Slow in tempo the song is orchestrated which brings on symphonic undertones but the tough and kick-hard rhythm and the crunchy guitar holds all cheesiness at bay. Again, JLT’s vocal melodies are all very melodic and at times smooth with a monster chorus that screams JLT all the way and feels like a hit to these ears. Awesome. “Tears Of Blood” is a distinct, direct and concise metal-stomper, slammin’, punchy and heavy with a rhythm hard as granite like a fist in the gut. It’s an uptempo piece that musically could’ve been a Pain tune but JLT’s melodic and memorable melodies takes the song into his space and the chorus is just bang-on-target. A really good tune.
The slower paced “Desire” has a build-up with spoken word and gets going with a massive riff , a dark, brooding atmosphere and a fat and punchy beat. It’s tuned down with a sharp metal-edge but with striking vocal-melodies and an intense and distinct that sticks right from go. Good one. “Don’t Fear The Dark” is an uptempo rocker, dark but with a pop-synth and quite straight ahead where Classic Rock, industrial Metal and Melodic Rock blends together brilliantly. It’s a heavy Hard Rock tune for sure but with some hooky and crowd friendly melodies with pop-vibes that screams old JLT a long way. Very good.
The title “Fallen World” is as dystopian as much of the music and atmosphere. It’s a bit industrial, edgy and pounding with a hard edge but also rowdy rhythmic with distinct vocals melodies and a slight glance at his Rainbow days. The chorus is catchy enough but it doesn’t really hold up as good as the rest of the songs. The upbeat rocker “Living The Dream” is classic Melodic Rock, old JLT style at the bottom but with a heavier structure and raw and gritty guitars. It’s direct and in-your-face, foot stomping with a Hammond-like keyboard where both riff and main-melody holds a poppier twist with a damn catchy refrain on top. Very good.
The album closes in an epic and grandiose way with the bombastic and pompous “Requiem”. It’s a slow and dramatic number, orchestral with a Church Organ sounding keyboard inside a large soundscape with a melancholic and even saddening atmosphere which creates a great contrast to the fat, tough rhythm and the hard and powerful guitar. The melodies are catchy and takes a look back to 80’s melodic Hard Rock vibe. The chorus takes yet another turn and feels almost operatic but with a sharp hook that catches on hard from the first spin. Very good.
While the fact that JLT now has thrown away the wig he’s been wearing since he was 14 has taken up as much space as the music on this album it needs to be pointed out that this is not only JLT’s heaviest album ever, it’s also the best solo album he has released in many, many moons. To me, it’s actually his best since Nothing’s Changed (1995). Where the music is heavy, hard and at times industrial and Tägtgren’s spirit is all over the place it’s also a melodic album when it comes to melodies and it’s easy to spot who wrote what here. The musical styles might be worlds apart but it works splendidly. Better than I had thought actually. A damn good record that with a bit of luck will please lovers of both dark and gritty Metal and Melodic Rock. Well done.
8/10
Tracklist:
1. Belly Of The Beast
2. Black Sun
3. Tortured Soul
4. Rise Up
5. Dark Night Of The Soul
6. Tears Of Blood
7. Desire
8. Don’t Fear The Dark
9. Fallen World
10. Living The Dream
11. Requiem
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