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TNT - All The Way To The Sun
Band:
TNT
Label:
MTM Records / Mayhem Records
Album:
All The Way To The Sun
Release:
2005
Genre:
Melodic Metal
Reviewer:
Rating:
4.5 stars
Site:

An absolute triumph! TNT’s latest effort, “All The Way To The Sun.” once again pairs the incredible vocal talents of (THE ONE AND ONLY) Tony Harnell with his long time song-writing partner and guitar virtuoso Ronni LeTekro. Now along with veteran TNT drummer Diesel Dahl and bassist Sid Ringsby, who’s been playing bass for the band for the past few tours, TNT is ready to EXPLODE back into the spotlight! Damn… that was a really bad “pun” wasn’t it? Anyway….

This is Tony Harnell at his best. I reviewed his solo project with the band STARBREAKER earlier this year and have always been a long time fan since I first heard “Tell No Tales” over twenty years ago. I have continued to follow his career with all his other side projects as well but NOTHING compares to when you get him together with LeTekro. Together these guys are an unstoppable duo who, although being praised and recipients of countless awards throughout Europe and Scandinavia, have never really hit it big here in the States. THESE GUYS NEED TO BE HEARD! Bottom line (although they have always been able to maintain a strong underground fan base) I just wish they could get the airplay they deserve. But with the music industry what it is here, I think the only shot they may have is if Tony changes his name to “20-cent” with “MC LeTekro” on scratches and noises! Sad, sad, sad… but I digress.

All The Way To The Sun” has something for everyone. Long time TNT fans can appreciate its melodic, hard rock essence that TNT is famous for. Thrashers and head-bangers can easily appreciate tracks like “Black Butterfly,” “All The Way to the Sun,” and the opening track “A Fix” which boost the band to a whole new level with their thundering, punchy rhythms and astonishing guitar work… compliments of Mr. LeTekro who remains consistent throughout the release. His imaginative, intelligent and signature guitar style encompasses every solo, every melody and binds the compositions together in a way no other guitarist could duplicate.

AOR and hard rock fans in general will be absolutely astounded. Tracks like “Driving,” “Save Your Love,” “Ready To Fly” and “Too Late” are solid, AOR masterpieces which grip you with their powerful hooks, harmonies and chorus’ that you’ll find ringing in your head long after the disc is out of your CD player. Harnell’s vocals are stellar from start to finish and, as with pretty much everything he does, add a dimension to the arrangements unobtainable by any other vocalist. Simply put, Tony’s voice is the most powerful instrument of all and to this day, like that of Steve Perry, Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant or Freddie Mercury, remains not only one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in hard rock, but in history. It even breathes fresh life into TNT’s cover of the legendary Louis Armstrong classic “What A Wonderful World” which isn’t an easy accomplishment. Given, it could never be said that Louis Armstrong had one of the greatest voices, but as far as the distinctiveness when you hear that song… it almost brings tears to your eyes and takes your breath away. Now I am NOT saying that this version is that comparable to the original, but TNT’s arrangement definitely stands alone as one of the better and more original versions of the song. Guys, you’d make Louis proud!

What else can you say? “All The Way To The Sun” is definitely TNT’s best effort in more than a decade. There is not a throw away track to be found and it’s just about as close to perfection as you can get. I would absolutely LOVE to give this a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating but “Intuition” has always and WILL always hold a special place in my heart as far as TNT albums go, however, this is a VERY close second! I just hope the success of this release will eventually inspire a North American tour of some sort. Come on guys, we need ya!


Band Lineup:
  • Tony Harnell - Vocals
  • Ronnie LeTekro - Guitar
  • Diesel Dahl - Drums
  • Sid Ringsby - Bass

 

Track Listing:
  1. A Fix
  2. Too Late
  3. Driving
  4. Me and I
  5. Sometimes
  6. All The Way To The Sun
  7. What A Wonderful World
  8. The Letter
  9. Mastic Pines
  10. Black Butterfly
  11. Save Your Love
  12. Ready to Fly



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