Amongst the sea of 80s metal bands who never ascended to mega superstar household name status is Jack Starr’s Burning Starr. Formed by guitar virtuoso and Virgin Steele founder Jack Starr, Burning Starr released a string of highly enjoyable albums in the late 80s, even if they showcased a band finding their way musically. Their 1985 debut, Rock the American Way, was a commercial metal effort. 1986’s No Turning Back! and 1987’s Blaze of Glory took a turn towards the power/neoclassical side of things, while 1989’s self titled saw the band retreating back to metallized AOR.
No matter what they played, Burning Starr specialized in two things: standout musicianship, and more specifically, killer guitar work, courtesy of the band’s namesake. This remains the bedrock of their sound all these decades later with the release of their latest album, Souls of the Innocent. Joining Starr for this heavy affair is long time bassist Ned Meloni, former Manowar drummer Rhino, and newest addition, singer Alex Panza of Hitten. Having sang on one of the finest melodic metal releases of 2021 in Hitten’s Triumph & Tragedy, I had no doubts of Panza’s abilities to steer the Burning Starr ship.
If anything, Souls of the Innocent stands as a testament to Panza’s versatility, because a slick, polished, glam metal machine this is not. Souls is, by far, the darkest and doomiest outing of Starr’s career to date. Over the course of its nearly hour long running time, headbangers are treated to an array of hellish arrangements, slow tempos, evil riffing, and soaring solos on cuts like “I Am the Sinner”, “Road to Hell”, and the title track. There’s a distinct Sabbathian flavor to Starr’s playing on this outing, but the songs draw more influence from the Dio era of the band than Ozzy, as fantastical lyrics and a triumphant spirit reign supreme.
For those who like their metal on the upbeat side, fear not. There’s no shortage of traditional metal bangers on Souls, many of which wouldn’t sound out of place on those classic 80s releases I mentioned earlier. There’s an exotic flair to cuts like “River of Blood” and “Winds of War”, specifically in the melodies and soloing, that I can only compare to Uli Jon Roth era Scorpions. I wish I had more in depth descriptors for these songs, but let’s just say I’d love to hear more of THAT metal, whatever “that” is. Aside from those, the straightforward power and unapologetic old school heaviness of “Demons Behind Me”, “All Out War”, and “Where Eagles Fly” are enough to get my fists pumping and head banging, even from behind my work desk.
Make no mistake, Burning Starr continues to burn brighter than ever. Starr’s vision is focused and to the point, aided by a cast of players as excited about creating fresh, uplifting, classic heavy metal as he is. Ideally, if you’re a fan of kickass metal and even more kickass musical performances, there no reason you wouldn’t appreciate Souls of the Innocent. I know I do. I also hope this incarnation sticks together for another full length, because the pairing of Starr and Panza is too awesome to deny!
7 out of 10
Label: Global Rock Records
Genre: Heavy/Power/Doom Metal
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Dio, Scorpions