Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: 01/25/2019
Production: Magnus Karlsson
Album length: 47.19
Genre: AOR / Melodic Rock
Starbreaker is a project fronted by former TNT vocalist Tony Harnell and the Swedish musical jack-of-all-trades, the polished, wonder-working Magnus Karlsson. The duo released two studio albums, in 2005 and 2008, and then gradually vanished from the scene. The self-titled debut in particular was known for its remarkable polish and, above all, its fresh sound.
Eleven years between the predecessor »Love’s Dying Wish« and the new album »Dysphoria« is a long stretch, and a lot can change in that time. Karlsson went all in on his work in the German power metal stronghold Primal Fear, while Harnell kept coming and going in TNT. His latest TNT exit is final, so the Starbreaker duo once again found enough time to fire up the creative engines, and the result is a brand-new album.
Magnus recently put out two solo albums under the FreeFall name, and then came an album by The Ferrymen, which also featured the outstanding Ronnie Romero (vocals) and the somewhat forgotten, admittedly difficult-in-character but absolutely magnificent drummer Mike Terrana. All of these newer Magnus releases, one after another, picked up a much beefier, more bristling production. That means the guitar phrases are strongly emphasized. It’s the main trait that sets Karlsson’s approach, in both arranging and producing, apart from his work before he joined Primal Fear. But Karlsson certainly hasn’t lost his exceptional knack for building an ultra-catchy composition that casts its spell in an instant with a melodically irresistible, soothing, infectious chorus hook. So those two basic traits, first the seriously sharpened production where a massive wall of riffs dominates, and second the musical completeness, also define the new album »Dysphoria«, which is an upgrade in every way on both of the project’s studio predecessors.
For his age, Harnell keeps an incredible vocal range. Not just the range, but also a remarkable punch in the high to highest registers, easily getting close to working over the fifth octave. The opener Pure Evil is especially bristling, which shows that Magnus carried the songwriting traits of Primal Fear over into this track. The song has a typical power metal riff and comes across as the sharpest, most uncompromising cut on the new Starbreaker album, which, given expectations, is certainly a nice opening shock for the listener. Later the album calms down and settles into mid-tempo rhythms, led by an avalanche-thick mass of riff wall and Magnus’s trademark mix of keyboard arrangements, which echo the ones Magnus contributed to the studio albums of his clients, from Bob Catley (Magnum) to Tony O’Hora (The Sweet, Praying Mantis), and on to Russell Allen and Jorn Lande (Allen/Lande). We can say that in 2019 Starbreaker gratefully gets diehard TNT fans out of a jam, since for years now they haven’t gotten a good album from Le Tekro and company. Still, what gives this project its own character is the aforementioned implantation of all the compositional virtues that mark the musical breadth and stature of Mangnus Karlsson as an artist. An excellent blend of both, with a touch of Primal Fear-style hammering in the opening, which is enough to make »Dysphoria« interesting to fans of TNT and melodic rock as well as classic power metal “lathe work”.
Orchestral elements also sneak into the arrangements, delivered by the punchy ballad Beautiful One, which cuts the mood in the middle and in which the virtues of Harnell’s signature vocals and Karlsson’s all-round craftsmanship especially sparkle. Ballads usually bore, but this one, unlike the generic ones, delivers one of the highlights of »Dysphoria«. Drama theater full of bombastic catchiness and pomp. »Dysphoria« takes the Starbreaker project to a completely new level of expression and character. Strikingly fresh in both production and style. Given the consistency and quality of this new effort, it would be wonderful if the project ever came to life on stage as a proper band. Harnell would surely find the time, but the worthily overbooked Magnus Karlsson would have a hard time of it. Let’s wait and see what the future brings, and all that’s left is to wrap this piece up by saying that »Dysphoria« is an exceptionally good, polished melodic rock release and already one of the genre’s highlights of the year.
Oh, right. Worth mentioning that the album closes as heavy metal as it begins. It was only a matter of time before the Starbreaker project covered the Judas Priest classic of the same name, taken from the classic Judas Priest album »Sin After Sin« (1977). Starbreaker’s take on the Judas Prisest classic makes for an extremely bold and passionate finish to »Dysphoria«, which means that as far as covers go, it’s a thoroughly sensible integration and “extension” of the album.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
rating: 8.5 / 10
Track list:
1. Pure Evil
2. Wild Butterflies
3. Last December
4. How Many More Goodbyes
5. Beautiful One
6. Dysphoria
7. My Heart Belongs to You
8. Fire Away
9. Bright Star Blind Me
10. Starbreaker
Lineup:
Tony Harnell – vocals
Magnus Karlsson – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Jonni Lightfoot – bass guitar
Anders Köllerfors – drums
