Joe Lynn Turner – Belly of the Beast

7/10

It has been said that this album marks a new chapter in Joe Lynn Turners life. There’s some truth in that. The former Rainbow/Yngwie Malmsteen/Deep Purple singer hasn’t sounded this modern in ages. Certainly, this has to do with Hypocricy and Pain mainman Peter Tägtgren, who’s produced and written songs.

Still, behind all the glitter lurks a fairly traditional Joe Lynn Turner record. The melodies could be taken from Yngwie’s 1980’s and there’s more than a hint of Jon Lord-style Hammond organ in the duration of this album. Perhaps, tunes such as “Fallen world” or “Living the dream” could be described as industrial AOR, whereas “Dark night of the soul” and “Requiem” are gorgeous power ballads, complete with what very much sounds like real strings. Possibly, these dark tunes can ultimately be likened to Rammstein or Masterplan. The missing link between west coast rock and teutonic power metal? Yeah, why not! In “Don’t fear the dark”, Joe proves that he can still rock, and the man born as Joseph Linquito a full 71 years ago seems to have lost absoloutely none of his throat strength.

Artist: Joe Lynn Turner
Title: Belly of the Beast
Label: Players Club/Border
Date of release: 2022-10-28
Rate: 7/10
Stand Out Track: Don’t fear the dark
Country of Origin: USA