Lunatic's Serenade
HMS Music Spotlight
For months, I have been waiting to hear Starblind’s new release. Ever since they made their deal with Pure Steel Records, the wheels have been turning for them in positive directions. What more can I say about these masters of mayhem and madness from the wonderful land of Sweden? They have been working hard on this record as well as putting in as many gigs and fests as possible to keep their music fresh in the ears of the masses. Over these many moons, I have been in contact with Mike Stark on the progress of making the record. Now we have the finished product, and I am proud and humbled to be chosen for this task of review.
Out of the gate, Daniel Tillberg breaks out with power chords on the bass filling empty space with grace. This leads into some of the best rhythmic violence. ”A Dying Son” is tight, in the pocket, and everybody is on the same page; just like clockwork. “Blood Red Skies” splits the sky as Björn Rosenblad and J.J take over on double lead action. “Firestone” starts with a sweet intro and soft vocals with guitar over smooth arpeggio on the bass and then breaks into the main riffs. The vocals are piercing and the thick rhythms keep things moving at break-neck speeds. The drummer, Zacke Wikner, pounds the words being screamed into your ears with his tribal beat at the breakdown.
“The Man of the Crowd” is a display of classic metal that takes me back to 1982’s Fates Warning and Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, “The Lighthouse” puts fear in your heart as it races and pumps to the tempo of the sound. This one will leave you out of breath and feeling like you ran a hundred yard dash in eight seconds. “Sacrifice” is a tune that slams the barriers down and turns the volume up so you feel like running madly throughout your home destroying things. ”The Land of Seven Rivers Beyond the Sea” has a nice acoustic intro with kind vocals that might seem like it’s a mellow tune, but not so. Starblind kicks that thought to the curb as the song builds to a fierce inferno as it burns the inmost parts of your being. The breakdown is like the pounding of Thor’s hammer against his foe. There’s a moment of peace after the first solo, but only for a moment as Björn and JJ start trading solos as if in battle.
Starblind
Dying Son
(Pure Steel Records)
Written by: Tim Duran
9 out of 10
As a lover of pure music, I have to be completely honest about what goes down in my reviews. Good, bad, or ugly, I will tell you how I feel, and as many times as I heard each song I could not find a downside anywhere. The production was smooth, and because it was live in the studio there were no glitches when the solos started and no volume change when they ended. The drums and the bass couldn’t have been mixed better and the vocals that were beautifully done by Mike Stark rose above the previous album. But don’t let that stop you from getting Darkest Horrors because Dying Son is a great follow up. Due out December 4th, but you can pre-order November 20th. You can get Darkest Horrors on amazon.com now.
Tim Duran, HMS
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