Album Review: Joe Lynn Turner - Belly Of The Beast
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
It’s been a long time since I listened to Joe Lynn Turner. Probably 1984 and Rainbow’s ‘Bent Out of Shape’ if I’m brutally honest. But my tardiness does the man a disservice, for his catalogue of music is superb. At the age of 71 he’s been able to reveal that he wore a hairpiece since the age of 14, due to a diagnosis of alopecia at the age of three. And for that he deserves huge respect.
More importantly is ‘Belly of the Beast’, his latest album and one hell of a solid record. Produced by the iconic Peter Tägtgren [Hypocrisy, PAIN, Lindemann], it’s 11 tracks of stellar hard rock with a huge and contemporary sound. It’s fast, vibrant and his vocals are sounding as good today as they did over four decades ago.
Combining the historical biblical references about the belly of the beast with a more current view of its meaning, Lynn Turner observes, “We are in a true spiritual war right now. It’s Good versus Evil. We’ve all got an Angel on one shoulder and a Devil on the other. We’re in the Belly of the Beast, trapped in the System, and there’s no way out of it”.
The first thing you notice is just how ferociously heavy this album is. The title track is electric, alive in pace and power, a vibrant, pulsating song that has screaming guitar, pounding drums and a double take needed to check that this really is Joe Lynn Turner. For much of the album it doesn't get much lighter and although I’m not familiar with his entire discography, I’d be happy to bet that there is little heavier works in that collection.
‘Black Sun’ changes style, bringing an industrial stomp which is dominated by a crunching riff which echoes German superstars Rammstein. Maybe Tägtgren has exerted a little influence from the producer’s chair. Then there’s the epic ‘Dark Night of the Soul’, which has more symphonic and orchestral elements and allows Lynn Turner to really open the pipes. Plenty of variation, melody, and hard riffs throughout keep this album interesting.
There is a definite crunch to the album, but still plenty of the melodic style that we always associate with the man who has fronted Rainbow, Deep Purple and Yngwie Malmsteen. ‘Don’t Fear the Dark’ has a poppy beat but still packs a punch, whilst penultimate track ‘Living the Dream’ is upbeat, toe tapping and a good, reliable rock song. Finishing off the album is the dramatic ‘Requiem’ which has the epic, melodic rock feel of the 1980s but with a modern twist.
‘Belly of the Beast’ surprised me with its vibrancy. Decades after that hit, Joe Lynn Turner is in no mood to surrender yet.
