Decent rocker, sadly defunct now
Artiste: Starbreaker
Nationality: American
Album: Starbreaker
Year: 2005
Label: Frontiers
Genre:AOR/Melodic Rock
Tracks:
Die for you
Lies
Break my bones
Crushed
Days of confusion
Transparent
Light at the end of the world
Cradle to the grave
Underneath a falling sky
Turn it off
Dragonfly
Save yourself
Days of confusion (Acoustic)
Chronological position:Debut album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid:
Initial impression: Good solid AOR with a real hint of metal to it.
Best track(s): Lies, Days of confusion, The light at the end of the world, Turn it off
Worst track(s): Dragonfly
Comments: A side project for TNT singer and frontman Tony Harnell, Starbreaker had just the two albums, this being their first. It starts off a bit confusing with various instruments going, almost like an orchestra tuning up, but quickly develops into a rocking opener with a great hook, and
Die for you starts us off on the right foot. Sitar-like guitar metamorphoses into a blazing solo from Primal Fear's Magnus Karlsson, and there's a certain Thin Lizzy sound to his fretwork on
Lies, with some effective keyboards added by him too.
There's definitely a harder edge to this short-lived band/project than other AOR acts I've heard, and I'd place them more at the metal side of things than melodic rock really, but then with the singer from TNT and the guitarist from Primal Fear that's not really that big a surprise. Add in the drummer from TNT, who has also played with Yngwie Malmsteen, and it's a pretty heavy troupe you've got here. That said, this album is chock-full of hooks and memorable melodies, so I'd put it above the average metal album, where in some cases melody and structure can be sacrificed in favour of speed, power, noise or all three.
Starbreaker can pull back on the throttle too though, as they do in the semi-ballad
Days of confusion, a song we get two versions of, with the closer an acoustic offering. Very powerful and dramatic but featuring really sensitive and engaging piano work from Karlsson, it's one of the standouts certainly. There's some real guitar virtuoso display here from the PF man, though it's Harnell's voice that controls proceedings, and man is it equal to the task. But then, you probably knew that anyway. Again we hear that tinkling piano in
Underneath a falling sky, but it's hardly a ballad.
I have to say the instrumental
Dragonfly is just totally overblown and self-indulgent, the only reason it gets onto the "worst tracks" list (the only one there, to be fair), and it sounds very Malmsteenesque to me (ie indulgent and overblown) but at least it does give drummer John Macaluso a chance to shine. Other than that it's the low point of an album which really has none. I pretty much like every track here, and I'll be listening to this album again at some point certainly.
Overall impression: Very impressed; sorry there were only two albums from this band.
Intention: I'll have a listen to the second album, then maybe check out TNT...