Post by Kevin on Oct 16, 2003 16:38:03 GMT -5
Band: Starchild
Album: 8 Song Promo
Format: CD
Label: 12th Records
Time: 41 Minutes
Year: 2003
Track List:
The Futurist
Wings
Pearl
Freedom
Eyes of Fire
God Shaped Hole
First Dawn
Truth
Label Site: www.12threcords.com/mainslate.html
Hunter Thompson once said that true objective journalism is impossible. In the case of Starchild, I’m giving in to the futility of even trying for such a lofty goal by declaring that this is one of the best groups in existence, if trad doom is your thing. Starchild produces some of the most flat-out amazing cosmic space doom ever created, on this or any planet. Its impossible to describe how knocked out I was when I heard their three-song demo earlier this year. Actually, I was literally knocked out on painkillers, but that’s another story…heh.
This new promo from Waycross, Georgia’s doom overlords incorporates the three songs from the earlier demo, while adding five more. Each one is a masterpiece of riffing, spaced-out, drugged-out DOOM. The first two songs, ‘The Futurist’ and ‘Wings’ are from the earlier disc, as is the last one, ‘Truth.’ Each is a wonder of freshly interpreted Sabbathisms, smoked over a slow (High on) fire, then flung into outer space. The first of the new tunes, ‘Pearl’ is a pretty acoustic effort, transitioning into what Starchild have to say to us this go round. Which commences in earnest with ‘Freedom,’ a monsterously heavy, mid-paced ode to drugged ideals that reminds me of New Zealand’s best, Datura. The trademark echo vocals are there in spades, like being hit over the head with a lava lamp in slow-mo. ‘Eyes of Fire’ has a heavy, chugging riff with a blistering, multi-tracked guitar solo, while ‘God Shaped Hole’ gives us a breather with a weirdly pretty guitar/effects duet. ‘First Dawn’ is perhaps the most interesting tune on the whole disc. The heretofore clean vox are filtered and treated to sound that much weirder and rougher, engineered (no doubt) to give flashbacks to LSD virgins. The song’s a stone burner, followed by ‘Truth,’ with its rhythmic changeups and excellent collapsoid ending. Unbelievable.
My copy of this demo has “2003 release on 12th Records” and “Next on 12th” written on the insert, but a quick search of the label’s site reveals no information. Back when I received the first demo, I seem to remember rumors going around that the full album’s release was “imminent.” Well, lets hope it really is, because this is far too good to be kept under wraps any longer.
Kevin McHugh
Album: 8 Song Promo
Format: CD
Label: 12th Records
Time: 41 Minutes
Year: 2003
Track List:
The Futurist
Wings
Pearl
Freedom
Eyes of Fire
God Shaped Hole
First Dawn
Truth
Label Site: www.12threcords.com/mainslate.html
Hunter Thompson once said that true objective journalism is impossible. In the case of Starchild, I’m giving in to the futility of even trying for such a lofty goal by declaring that this is one of the best groups in existence, if trad doom is your thing. Starchild produces some of the most flat-out amazing cosmic space doom ever created, on this or any planet. Its impossible to describe how knocked out I was when I heard their three-song demo earlier this year. Actually, I was literally knocked out on painkillers, but that’s another story…heh.
This new promo from Waycross, Georgia’s doom overlords incorporates the three songs from the earlier demo, while adding five more. Each one is a masterpiece of riffing, spaced-out, drugged-out DOOM. The first two songs, ‘The Futurist’ and ‘Wings’ are from the earlier disc, as is the last one, ‘Truth.’ Each is a wonder of freshly interpreted Sabbathisms, smoked over a slow (High on) fire, then flung into outer space. The first of the new tunes, ‘Pearl’ is a pretty acoustic effort, transitioning into what Starchild have to say to us this go round. Which commences in earnest with ‘Freedom,’ a monsterously heavy, mid-paced ode to drugged ideals that reminds me of New Zealand’s best, Datura. The trademark echo vocals are there in spades, like being hit over the head with a lava lamp in slow-mo. ‘Eyes of Fire’ has a heavy, chugging riff with a blistering, multi-tracked guitar solo, while ‘God Shaped Hole’ gives us a breather with a weirdly pretty guitar/effects duet. ‘First Dawn’ is perhaps the most interesting tune on the whole disc. The heretofore clean vox are filtered and treated to sound that much weirder and rougher, engineered (no doubt) to give flashbacks to LSD virgins. The song’s a stone burner, followed by ‘Truth,’ with its rhythmic changeups and excellent collapsoid ending. Unbelievable.
My copy of this demo has “2003 release on 12th Records” and “Next on 12th” written on the insert, but a quick search of the label’s site reveals no information. Back when I received the first demo, I seem to remember rumors going around that the full album’s release was “imminent.” Well, lets hope it really is, because this is far too good to be kept under wraps any longer.
Kevin McHugh