Stormburst is the Central Sweden melodic rock band that featured in 2017 with their debut ‘Raised On Rock’, herewith is their second.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Stormburst
ALBUM: Highway To Heaven
LABEL: AOR Heaven
SERIAL: AORH00209
YEAR: 2020
SPONSOR: Germusica
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Lars Ake Nilsson – lead vocals * Thomas Hansson – guitars * Kent Jansson – bass * Peter Ostling – keyboards * Pelle Hinden – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Highway To Heaven * 02 Rock N Roll Soldier * 03 Tonight * 04 Going Home * 05 Closer To Heaven * 06 Miles Away * 07 Who Do You Think You Are * 08 Confidence * 09 Run For The Light * 10 Take Me To The Sky * 11 Lost In The Night * 12 Riding On The Wind * 13 One Dream
RATING: 85/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Stormburst is the Central Sweden melodic rock band that featured in 2017 with their debut ‘Raised On Rock’ (click tag below). Their personnel all have their roots in prior bands from the 80’s and 90’s such as Keen Hue, Six Feet Under and Coastline.
Certainly the Stormburst sound is a reflection of their history, with classic rock bands for references, and the predominant use of the organ giving them a point of difference within today’s current crop of long-haired contemporaries.
The Songs
I’ll concede this was a challenging album to review. There’s a lot of music to contend with and it didn’t immediately hit a home run like the debut ‘Raised On Rock’ did three years ago.
However as I say this, the title track roars into life as the afterburners kick in and take us on ride onto the highway to heaven, literally. AC/DC might have gone in the opposite direction but I certainly know where I’d like to be headed. Great rollicking start.
Other rebel-rousers include ‘Who Do You Think You Are’, ‘Take Me To The Sky’ and ‘Riding On The Wind’. This is where Stormburst really crank it up and sound very effective.
When they steer closer to AOR territory as they do on ‘Going Home’ and ‘Run For The Light’ it still sounds OK but not nearly as effective. ‘Miles Away’ sounds like a ballad that The Scorpions would attempt. It’s pretty sombre stuff, while ‘Rock N Roll Soldier’ appeals due to its anthem like quality.
In Summary
As mentioned, this is more about classic melodic rock and shouldn’t be compared to other modern day Swedish acts like Creye, Wildness or latest sensations Arctic Rain, who are a completely different proposition altogether.
There’s probably a few too many songs onboard and it became too familiar as we progressed through the track list, but gems were also uncovered along the way. Good to see the lads back in action with another album now tucked away in their portfolio.
Video
Highway To Heaven
Run For The Light
[Gdazegod] Haha, these guys must’ve discovered the secret to powering their amplifiers by embedding cable into the sand. A new form of solar induced power perhaps?
[Thomas 73] Hey there! Thanks for posting and the last video “Run For The Light” was recorded on the rooftop of a store called LYKO. Looks like we’re in the desert but we’re not.