RATING: RRRRr
LABEL: High Roller
REVIEWED BY: Alan
Holloway
It's funny how you can
know a famous name but know nothing about them. I've been hearing the
name Jack Starr for many years now, but this is genuinely the first
time I've had one of his albums to sit through. From the gruesome
fantasy war cover I was expecting Manowar type macho bullshit, but it
turns out Jack Starr has much more than that to offer.
'Stand Your Ground' is
an unashamedly classic style metal album, with speed and melody
walking hand in hand throughout, much like Striker. To be fair, if
you like Striker then Jack Starr is a must buy, as the two share an
affinity and ability for powerful riffs married to merry melodies,
resulting in a continuous cacophony of fast, exciting and above all
catchy tunes. It's the sort of album you'd expect to be filled with
three and a half minute wonders, but only three tracks in the title
track rolls in at over 10 minutes, with the average elsewhere being
about five minutes. This results in an album that's a whopping
seventy minutes long, and blow me if it doesn't seem like it at any
point. The title track itself is a wonderful piece of music,
reminding me of both Rainbow and Iron Maiden at their best. Vocalist
Todd Michael Hall (Riot) has a superb vocal style for this sort of
thing, all high screams and low power but always melodic. Starr
himself provides excellent guitar, though if yer name is on the cover
that's to be expected. He doesn't take over the songs at all, though,
which is a massive plus in my book.
If this had been
chucked out in the early to mid eighties it would be hailed as a
classic today. The songwriting is so strong, the playing so perfect,
the melodies so sweet that two old ladies who wandered in whilst I
was writing this review both said it sounded very good! Jack Starr
nails that sweet spot of making an album that couldn't be called
anything but metal that will still appeal to people who don't like
metal. Yes, the style is retro, but don't let that put you off, as
'Stand Your Ground' feels fresh and feisty throughout. This may well
be the best melodic metal album this year, so do yourself a favour
and check it out.
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