In a little over a year of running this site, I’ve learned a lot of things I previously wouldn’t have known otherwise. For example, I think I’ve gotten review inquiries for just about every type of black metal the sun…or more appropriately, “Under a Funeral Moon”. There’s “thelemic black metal”, “obscure black metal”, even “anti cosmic black metal”. And what I’ve discovered is that despite these different iterations of the same genre, they all suck equally. So when among these “trve” “kvlt” spammers I received an inquiry to review a band that has been “likened to acts such as Hällas, Judas Priest, and Uriah Heep”, I jumped on the opportunity.
Starscape is a sci-fi themed duo hailing from Sweden. Per-Olof Göransson sings while Anton Eriksson plays all the instruments. Together, these two are offering a fresh spin on the otherwise stale “NWOTHM”. Their debut album, Colony, is an unorthodox hybrid of 70s progressive rock and obscure 80s metal. They’re a progressive metal band who’s more focused on capturing the raw and unpredictable energy of the subgenre’s salad days, as opposed to replicating the bloated Dream Theater-isms that have dominated the last 30 years.
In many ways, Starscape accomplishes their mission of creating captivating sci-fi epics. If you watch the original Star Wars trilogy, turn the volume down during the battle scenes, and play this album instead, it’d fit right in with the action onscreen. One song in particular that exemplifies this is “Not Built by Human Hands”. This song is dominated by mean Tipton/Downing style riffs and a victorious guitar solo. Göransson is no Halford, but his unique cry adds to this album’s charm.
While most think of progressive metal as being flawlessly executed and meticulously produced, there’s an amateur authenticity to Colony that reminds me of so many 80s greats who fell between the cracks. It took me a few tracks to figure out a direct comparison. As I listened to the old school Swedish steel of “Pilgrims of the Stars” and the Hällas goes heavy hooks of “Interstellar”, I asked myself “Where have I heard this?” Then the title track hit me like a ton of bricks. “Colony”, in all its epic, barbaric glory, comes from the same bloodline as American legends Brocas Helm.
While it’s easy today to pin down Brocas Helm as “epic metal”, this was not the case in the 1980s. Much like Starscape today, Brocas Helm stood alone, gathering the finest elements of heavy metal, speed metal, power metal, and progressive rock. Colony does the same. It sounds as out of place today as it would 40 years ago and will 40 years from now. And that’s a great thing. In a land of sheep, Starscape are wolves…albeit sci-fi fanatic wolves. Keep on howling boys.
6 out of 10
Label: Stormspell Records
Genre: Progressive Metal
For fans of: Brocas Helm, Hällas, Judas Priest