STARCHILD – Starchild (2014)

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STARCHILD is brainchild of Sandro Giampietro, most known for being the guitar player on Michael Kiske’s solo albums as well as songwriter for his present outfit Unisonic. Starchild is presenting their self-titled debut CD where Kiske guest on lead vocals.

Giampietro / Kiske are longtime partners, as both were bandmates in SupaRed, and later Sandro become the six-string player for Kiske’s solo efforts. In the middle, Giampietro was part of Zillion with which he recorded an album.
Precisely the ex- Zillion bassist Jens Becker was recruited by Giampietro for joining Starchild, completing the band with drummer Michael Ehré (also in melodic rockers Love Might Kill), and Lina ‘Esmeralda’ Dobrynina, a talented female violin virtuoso from Sankt Petersburg.

Musically, looking at the cover artwork of Starchild’s debut you have a hint what it’s all about… similar to Helloween eh? Well, there’s some influences, especially the Kiske era with the band.
But Starchild is much more melodic blending classic Euro melodic metal with a modern sound, pretty close to Kiske’s present band: Unisonic. Not strangely Giampietro contributes songwriting for this very good German act.

The songs on the album are mostly guitar driven rockers with lots of potent riffs, nice hooks and melodious vocals from Giampietro, with a vocal timbre similar to Tobias Sammet of Avantasia.
After the intro, title track “Starchild” has a quite anthemic fiber, but strangely it’s the less European sounding track on the CD, reminiscent of ’80s US melodic metal acts. It’s a solid number with great guitar leads and semi-midtempo pace.
In the next two cuts is where the Euro feel appears; the galloping yet really melodic “It’s My Race” has an Axel Rudi Peel vibe, while “Still My Planet” is a compelling midtempo semi-ballad and one of the highlights.

Many songs to follow are really melodic, some bordering the Melodic Hard Rock territory like the catchy “Thief of the Crown”, the mid-paced “Forever” or the power (heavy) ballad “Black and White Forever” with Kiske dueting on lead vocals.
The legacy of Helloween is present on the double bass fueled “Morningstar”, the rapid “Visions”, while the stabbing riffs on “Runner”, the hymn “Eyes of History” (another highlight) and the punching “Reaching the Land” will remind you Unisonic.
The band always feels tight and focused, with occasional electro-violin appearances adding colour to the arrangements.

Very well produced by Giampietro himself, “Starchild” delivers a healthy dose of European melodic metal / hard rock. I really like the way the band blends heavy patterns with melodic hard rock bounces, resulting in a never too metallic sound yet powerful and melodic at the same time.
If you like Unisonic, Axel Rudi Pell, Avantasia, some early Helloween and alike, “Starchild” is for you.
Recommended.

01 – Starchild Theme
02 – Starchild
03 – It’s My Race
04 – Still My Planet
05 – Eyes of History
06 – Thief of the Crown
07 – Reaching the Land
08 – Black and White Forever
09 – Morningstar
10 – Forever
11 – Visions
12 – Runner
13 – Atalya
14 – Underwaterworld

Sandro Giampietro (Zillion) – Guitars, Vocals
Jens Becker (Zillion, Running Wild) – Bass
Michael Ehré (Love Might Kill) – Drums
Esmeralda (Lina Dobrynina) – Electric Violin
Helge Schneider – guest Keyboards
Michael Kiske – guest Vocals

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