Warrant guitarist Erik Turner says Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Bon Jovi are 'definitely' still a rock band, despite their obsession with ballads over the last two decades.

Bon Jovi, who like Warrant originated in the ranks of 80s hair metal acts, will be inducted into the HOF next year with frontman Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora tipped to reunite for a performance.

On the White Line Fever podcast, Turner was asked if his band might have had more lasting commercial success had they concentrated on ballads later in their career like Bon Jovi rather than remaining determinedly a rock act.

“I think if you went and saw them live in concert, you’d say they’re definitely a rock band. I’m sure he puts on a great show," Turner replied. “But, yeah, we never got as big as Bon Jovi. Nowhere near as big as Bon Jovi. We just write music that we’re proud of and love and feel and it comes from an honest place. We’re not trying to be commercial. We’re not trying to be un-commercial.

"This is who we are, this is what comes out of us. Music comes from nowhere. It comes from the spirit world. Where does an idea or a riff come from? All of a sudden your hands start playing it and you think ‘that’s cool, let’s work on that’. Or a melody will just pop into your head or a lyric out of nowhere. It’s a strange thing, writing songs. It’s a very spiritual thing.

“Maybe some guys can sit down and chop up chords and analyze other songs and try and do this or do that or maybe they had a hit with one song and they just want to rewrite it over and over again. More power to them. Whatever works for you, whatever you’re proud of.

“I’m sure Jon Bon Jovi’s very proud of what he does and more power to him."

(Photo of Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon by Steve Mascord)