| 8 Song Promo (CD) | 2003 | 12th Records |
. 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 monstrously 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 here-to-fore 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 rumours going around that the full album's release was "imminent." Well, let's hope it really is, because this is far too good to be kept under wraps any longer.
1. The Futurist
2. Wings
3. Pearl
4. Freedom
5. Eyes of Fire
6. God Shaped Hole
7. First Dawn
8. Truth
Approx. 41 minutes
| 4 Song Demo (Demo) | 2003 | None |
If you want ruthless objectivity, you'll have to go elsewhere. Starchild has once again hit pay dirt in a big way. This is their slowest, most churning, doomiest work to date. All the patented Starchild ingredients are there: blues-based doom riffs serving up walls of guitar distortion, clean vocals singing of cosmic themes, a precise and Diplodocus-heavy rhythm section, and a vibe that combines the Sabbath old school with an updated feel that somehow equals timeless heaviness. 'Rainbow' begins with a slow drum intro, eventually joined by doom guitars that create a molten, ponderous, slo-mo sea of distortion. 'War of the Worlds' continues the theme while adding in a certain apocalyptic vision and some ripping guitar. The disc ends with 'Burn into Eternity,' another masterpiece of cosmic, epic doom. The thing's a slow burner, like a cosmic rush slowly rising up your spine to explode in a stab of strobing blacklight in your medulla oblongata.
I'll keep saying it as long as it seems necessary, or until they prove me wrong: Starchild is the best purveyor of stoned-out, cosmic doom around. It's too bad that they have yet to release an album on a "real" label; hopefully 12th Records will change all that ASAP. Until then, everyone should reserve a place for them in their Top 5 of 2003, 'cause they certainly deserve it.
1. Rainbow
2. War of the Worlds
3. Psychonaut
4. Burn into Eternity
Approx. 25 minutes
| Starchild (CD) | 2003 | Twin Earth |
You might say that if High on Fire were a doom band, they'd sound a lot like Starchild. As it is, Starchild sounds much like the almighty Sabbath of yore, say about 1971 or so. The vox sounds like Ozzy before he went off the rails, with some extra reverb mixed in. As far as the guitar and bass go, well, what can you say when confronted with such a mighty wall of distortion? Not much, except "turn it UP!!!" The drums keep things galloping along at a moderate, doomy pace except for some breaks in the last tune, 'Truth,' where they really turn up the heat. The tuneage on this CD goes from long to longer, great to greater, as the 3 songs unfold. 'The Futurist' starts off with a cool feedback wash before getting into the doomy goodness complete with SF-influenced lyrics. And it just gets better. By the time we get to 'Truth,' we're in the fabled Kingdom of Heavy, where dinosaurs stomp with abandon and the music is only of the highest quality. Hey, there's even an evil burnout ending! Ya gotta love it alright.
If you're interested in the upcoming crop of doomsters such as Orodruin or YOB, or love trad doom of any stripe, you'll count yourself lucky to have Starchild in your collection. They've got the name, the look, and the musical goods. Do it now!!
1. The Futurist
2. Wings
3. Truth
Approx. 17 minutes
| Starchild / Rebreather Split (CD) | 2004 | Twin Earth |
I confess that I'm not the world's foremost expert on Rebreather. I saw them at SHOD 2 in Youngstown, and heard a demo a couple of years later. I really dug their brand of heavy, screaming sludge, but somehow sorta kinda lost track of them in the past year or two. So I welcomed this opportunity to catch up with Youngstown's finest, and they've got a great collection o' tuneage this go 'round, highlighting the group chemistry that is their trademark. The sludgey, passionate vokills that I remember are still very much in evidence, but there are also some clean, melodic vocals as well. The songs are tight as a nun's bung, featuring Everest-style riffs that take the back of your head off as casually as a nuclear explosion snuffs out a fly. Rebreather has matured, and it's all good.
It's easy to see why so many people think that Rebreather lives very close to the heart of the heavy. It looks to me like Starchild are camped out in the same general neighbourhood. Don't even bother to try to fight the power, just give in and get what is sure to be one of the year's best discs. It's the right thing to do.
Starchild:
1. Rainbow
2. War of the Worlds
3. Psychonaut
Rebreather:
4. Come to the Back/Madre
5. Helena Song
6. Matter Vacuum
Approx. 45 minutes
| Born into Eternity (CD) | 2006 | Twin Earth |
Some may see hype in this pimping, but I stand behind every word, because the adrenaline and endorphin rushes I get from this music are the genuine article. In fact, I wish I could push them even harder, because if there were any justice in the world, Starchild band members wouldn't have to sell their cars to pay for their rockin', know what I mean? They shouldn't have to worry about money to get their tuneage out, but that's life in the underground, eh?
Regardless, Twin Earth has seen the wisdom in releasing a new album by these Waycross, Georgia doomsters, and it's a step forward, while retaining the doom roots that have made them great. Viewing song titles like 'Rising Star', 'Earthless', and 'Born into Eternity' one might be forgiven for assuming that this was just another chapter in the Starchild saga, good as that may have been. But things are a bit different this time: The songs are shorter and the riffs are catchier - stonier if you will - while the music is still as heavy as the proverbial million pound shithammer. 'Bride' starts things off with an easy, chugging space doom feeling with vocals in a lower register. A great idea that, although I admit that vocalist and guitarist Rick's straining, higher-pitched vocals have never bothered me like they do some. But hey, I listen to Ozzy-era Sabbath and Planet Gemini on a regular basis, so what do I know? Heh. Anyway, 'Rising Star' is a catchy rocker, while 'Earthless' and 'Will You' will appeal to "old school" Starchild fanatics, with their punishing cosmic doom. In all, the playing is better than ever before, with superb leads and songwriting that takes a back seat to nobody.
As groundbreaking as their first album was, even the Ramones couldn't make the exact same album over and over again. Nor should they. Starchild has expanded their pallette without forgetting what made them great in the first place. What did Waycross ever do to deserve a band like this?
1. Bride
2. Rising Star
3. Love
4. World Without End
5. Earthless
6. Will You
7. Bleed
8. Eternal Summer
9. Behold
10. Born into Eternity
Approx. 40 minutes