JACK STARR – Out Of The Darkness ’84 [remastered reissue] (2023) HQ *Exclusive*

High Roller Records is reissuing 2023 JACK STARR album, 1984’s ”Out Of The Darkness”, with audio mastered and restored by Patrick W. Engel. Jack Starr was a founding member and original guitarist of US metal cult legends Virgin Steele from New York. After their second album ‘Guardians Of The Flame’ was recorded in 1984, Starr and Virgin Steele parted ways.
As a direct result, his first solo album ”Out Of The Darkness” was released before the year had come to an end. For the rhythm section Jack got drummer Carl Canedy T bassist Garry Bordonaro (both from fellow New Yorkers The Rods) on board.
Starr recalls: “I did know them because we had done some shows together during my time in Virgin Steele.” The singer on the record was no other than RHETT FORRESTER, who had just departed from Riot. “Rhett was a great singer and should have been as big as David Lee Roth, or bigger,” Starr praises the well remembered front man.

”Out Of The Darkness” is ’80s traditional heavy metal / hard rock with sharp riffs and huge vocals, a LP that heavily influenced the US Metal sound at the time.
Alongside Forrester’s monster singing and invaluable contributions by Gary Driscoll (ex-Rainbow), Carl Canedy (The Rods) and Garry Bordonaro (The Rods), this record not only would be a reference for major acts from the US scene, but also for famous bands overseas.
It was as well a landmark for many future six-string / shredder superstars. The album made Jack Starr a guitar hero, quoted by the likes of George Lynch, Chris Impellitteri or Zakk Wylde as inspiration, and turned the young Rhett Forrester as one of the best singers of his generation.

When “Out Of The Darkness” was released in 1984, it could not be predicted how much influence this album would have on the US scene. In the international metal bible of the Eighties – the legendary Metal Forces magazine, “Out Of The Darkness” was listed as favorite of the year.
Kerrang! (issue 18, 1984) placed it amongst the “20 Fave LPs Of The Year” and in the Japanese Burrn! magazine the album was in 12th place of the Import Disc charts for many weeks.

Stylistically, ”Out Of The Darkness” ranges from straight ahead metal (“Concrete Warrior”, “Chains Of Love”), epic stuff like “False Messiah”, a ballad (“Can’t Let You Walk Away”) to party hard rock anthems (“Wild In The Streets”), with some strong instrumentals thrown in for good measure (“Scorcher”, “Odile”).

Without the shadow of a doubt, the album still holds up in 2023. “Thank you, I think that good songwriting never gets old,” laughs the guitarist. “The recording was done in a very good studio and a lot of money was spent on it because I believed in giving the fans the best possible product, and so I spent every penny of the advance on recording.
Carl Canedy mixed the album and really all I can say is that Carl is the man with the golden ears.”
Without a doubt, a fundamental piece of US metal / hard rock history packed into CD.
Highly Recommended

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01 – Concrete Warrior
02 – False Messiah
03 – Scorcher
04 – Wild in the Streets
05 – Can’t Let You Walk Away
06 – Chains of Love
07 – Eyes of Fire
08 – Odile
09 – Let’s Get Crazy Again
10 – Amazing Grace (Bonus Track)

Rhett Forrester – vocals
Jack Starr – all guitars
Gary Bordonaro, Ned Meloni – bass
Carl Canedy, Gary Driscoll – drums
Emma Zale – keyboards, strings, additional vocals
Laura Kyle, David DeFeis – backing vocals

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www.emp.co.uk/p/out-of-the-darkness/556460.html