When I first listened to House of Dreams, the second album by the hard rock band Sunstorm, I, for the life of me, could not place the vocals. I could recognize them like anything, but where did I hear them? A quick trip to Google, and I was informed that it was Joe Lynn Turner, whom I knew for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, and is somewhat less known for his work with Deep Purple but gained more notoriety with DP guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in previous years with Blackmore’s Rainbow. Which now seems fairly obvious to me, but I digress.
Sunstorm, I noticed, within the first track of House of Dreams, has a certain 80’s rock meets modern power metal feel to their music. Divided, an excellent opening track to the album, starts out with some dark synths and some very strong riffs. There is no lack of excellent composition, which is something that many people feel is sacrificed in more modern music. I’d like to point out the exceptional lead work from guitarist Uwe Rietenauer. Not only does his work cover the album from start to end, it is continually outstanding.
As expected, this album has no shortage of the obligatory power ballads. “The Spirit Inside” is the first of several, which tend to fall under a slightly modified formula than the previous few tracks. Again, there’s no lack of musicianship, but there tends to be a lack of a certain modern sound, and arguably modern creativity. That being said, the solos and soaring vocal choruses have the ability to take a listener back in time, figuratively speaking.
The fourth track, “I Found Love,” has a distinct sing-along kind of chorus; the kind that’s bound to get stuck in anyone’s head, which is what this band does best. There’s a distinct formula that was also featured in the opener, with the similarities to 80’s rock, the tendency to be incredibly catchy, the sometimes cheesy lyrical work, and the musicianship that has yet to falter. But this formula, as the album continues, tends to feel tedious. There’s a distinct lack of development or change throughout, and in that sense, it’s disappointing.
So by now, well within the first half, a listener can, and probably will have decided whether or not they love or hate House of Dreams, because beyond that there isn’t much overall variation, with the slight possible exception of the title track, which some may find to be more driven in terms of style than others. It’s well done, in terms of mixing and production and there’s no denying that there is band chemistry and that the musicianship is on point. When it comes down to it, this album is simply subject to each listener’s personal taste. Some, mostly AOR fans, will enjoy the throwback sound this album provides, with the delightful cheesiness that the band tends to create, both in sound and lyrically. Others will maintain the fact that “80’s styled music ended for a reason,” saying that this album crosses the line, into indulgent and overdone (see “Tears on the Pages” for a good example).It’s a love or hate release, and beyond that a listener will have to form his or her own opinion.
February 5, 2010
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