Stargazery : Eye on the Sky
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
While their sound is as predictable as the earth’s annual trek around the sun, those with an affinity for classic melodic heavy metal will probably derive at least a minimal amount of enjoyment from this debut album from Finland-based Stargazery. It must be noted that while this may be the band’s first album, the members themselves are all seasoned veterans of the heavy music scene, culled from the likes of Burning Point, Ghost Machinery, MSG, Snakegod, and Poisonblack, so we’re not talking about a bunch of talent-void virgins banging away on their instruments with no idea of what they’re doing.
With such an impressive talent pool to pull from, it is a little disheartening that Stargazery suffers from a serious lack of originality. Their style is heavily influenced by ‘80s-era Rainbow and Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath, with a hint of early TNT, a smidgen of Whitesnake, and a sprinkling of that distinctive European metal flavor. Sounds like an addictive audio recipe, right? But for some reason, the concoction the band brewed up in the studio just isn’t quite as tasty and exciting as it seems like it should be, slouching into the “serviceable” section rather than the “OMG!” category.
That said, it is perhaps unfair to spank a band for not reinventing the wheel when all they wanted to do was satisfactorily recreate the same ol’ tire. Stargazery merges the classic heaviness of the early to mid-1980s with a thick slathering of slick melody, ensuring the guitars and rhythm section dominate for that metal credibility but also incorporating legions of keyboards to provide a lush backdrop that some would call coolly retro and others would call hopelessly outdated.
The production sounds superb, but it definitely favors the band’s melodic aspects at the expense of the heavier components. Everything is as polished and sparkling as a movie star’s smile after a trip to the dentist. You have a better chance at finding a vibrator for sale in the Vatican than you do of finding any rough edges on this album.
Jari Tiura has one of those soaring, pierce-the-heavens voices, part Ronnie James Dio, part Tony Harnell. Since the modern metal scene is mobbed with angry singers that bark and growl like junkyard dogs in a pissing contest, it’s a nice change of pace to hear a skilled vocalist that possesses an impressive range as well as the control to wield that range like a surgical weapon, unleashing the power of the songs, however derivative they may be, at precisely the right moment.
Speaking of songs, even on an album full of “been there, heard that” tracks, some stand out more than others. “How Many Miles” is one of those songs, galloping along on the strength of a strong, catchy riff. “Puppet on a String” employs the same hard rocking approach, using double kick drums and some head-banging power chords to pull the track out of the marsh of mediocrity most of the other songs are floating in. Another one that gets a nod of approval is the metal ballad “Everytime I Dream of You,” which is every bit as lyrically cliché as it sound but brings the kind of bombast that back in the day would have had crowds swaying with lighters raised in approval.
So, yeah, you’ve heard this stuff before. There are plenty of adjectives you could toss at Stargazery, including predictable, formulaic, vanilla, banal, and hoary. Other adjectives, however, include classic, timeless, old-school, and dependable. In the end, perhaps the adjective that best describes this album is “harmless.” There is little to love, plenty to like, and not much to hate. To twist a coined phrase, perhaps that is praising with faint damnation.
Genre: Melodic heavy metal
Band:
Jari Tiura (vocals)
Pete Ahonen (guitar)
Jussi Ontero (drums)
Jukka Jokikokko (bass)
Marco Sneck (keyboard)
Track Listing:
1. Dying
2. Everytime I Dream of You
3. Eye on the Sky
4. How Many Miles
5. I Am the Night
6. Jester of Kings
7. Judas (The Lion)
8. Puppet on a String
9. S.O.S.
10. Headless Cross (Black Sabbath cover)
Label: Pure Legend Records
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.9/10