Starchaser: Starchaser

This album started life as a solo project from Kenneth Jonsson, but it quickly turned into more of a `band` album as Jonsson realised that the chemistry that the various players were developing over time, made it impossible to make it just an album under Jonsson`s name.

So we arrive with `Starchaser` which alongside Jonsson include the likes of Vocalist Ulrich Carlsson (Shaggy, ex-M.ILL.ION), bassist Örjan Josefsson (Cibola Junction), drummer Johan Koleberg (Wolf, Therion, Hammerfall, etc.), and keyboardist Kay Backlund (Lions Share, Nils Patrik Johansson, Impera, etc.)...so it’s safe to say there`s a certain level of rock pedigree here.

13 tracks that for the most part fall into the Heavy Metal category, there`s plenty of high octane riffing going on of course as well as a sprinkling of synths that bubble away in the background, yet it singularly fails to really go anywhere. Tracks such as the initially impressive `Tokyo`,` Angel Of Fear` and `Killer of Lies` too often rely upon too many Metal clichés to be convincing although `I`ll Find A Way` hints at better things when the band stray ever so slightly away from the out and out metal with a song that has a decent melody at its core, but this is the exception rather than the rule and the band quickly return to their favoured style, with the album drawn to a close by `For A Dying World` and `Homeground`, by which time I`d already grown rather tired of what I call `Metal by Numbers`.

I certainly can’t fault the playing and the production which are both mightily impressive, but it takes a little more than that to engage this particular listener, and I`m pretty sure I’ll be in the minority here as fans of Jonsson`s brand of Heavy Metal will be swiftly taken to their hearts.

Track Listing
1.Intro
2.Starchaser
3.Tokyo
4.Bringer Of Evil
5.Dead Man Walking
6.Angel Of Fear
7.I’ll Find A Way
8.Day Of Judgement
9.Killer Of Lies
10.Battleship
11.For A Dying World
12.Homeground
13.The Nightingale Paradox (Outro)

Added: July 10th 2022
Reviewer: Malcolm Smith
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 717
Language: english

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