Well, this is a strange one to arrive here at Metalteam in 2011; a power metal CD with a release date from mid 2009. What can I say, I know I’ve cut it tight on some deadlines, but I’d need Mr Wells’ time machine to give this one any advance press. Whimsy aside, on with the record. Wildestarr is formed from the merging of veteran rock journeyman Dave Starr, and the impressive vocal chords of London Wilde, and Arrival is their debut.
From the opener ‘Rose In The Dark’, to closer ‘The Chain’ (no, not a Fleetwood Mac cover folks), every note screams power metal. The guitars are layer upon layer of complex riffs, the solos tight and technical. As well as adding in swirling keyboards, London Wilde displays an incredible vocal range, her voice high and clear, the clean lyrics being interspersed with screams of remarkable sustain. The drums are played with a metronome like precision, and Mr Starr fills out the sound with the sort of bass playing that has made him a sought after studio and touring musician for many acts. Pretty much all the tracks play at around the five minute plus mark, allowing for plenty of vocal pyrotechnics, and for the guitar veteran to deliver a master class in his art.
Whilst all the above shows excellent skills and the production standard are of the highest, any enjoyment of the album would depend on how you like your music. If you’re a fan of the technical wizardry of the likes of Dragonforce, this is would be a worthy addition to your collection, made better still by being fronted by a strong female vocalist. If, like me, you like your music with a dirtier edge, this will not be your horn of mead. The very skills that the band has highlighted took away from my ability to enjoy it. Yes, the guitar work is a master class in the form, but too often it sounded like just that, a master class, an exercise in showing off six string wizardry, rather then an actual album. The vocals, powerful and clean as they are, ended up just being too intrusive, the screams having more technique then actual fire, at times having me physically cringe from the speakers! The engineering that let every note be heard to the max made the whole thing sound over polished and almost sterile.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are few musicians out there who could match the skills on show here, but somewhere along the way this album seems to have wandered away from entertainment, and into a showcase of ability over passion.
http://wildestarr.com
http://www.myspace.com/wildestarr
Spenny Bullen
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