STATETROOPER – The Calling

Statetrooper’s second album arrives 18 years since the last one. The band’s 1986 debut received lousy reviews in the press, and even though the band delivered admirably from the stage, Statetrooper disbanded in the late 80s.

The band’s vocalist is none other than the former Michael Schenker Group (MSG) front man, Gary John Barden, and together with Statetrooper, he has delivered a great performance with a band few ever thought would again see the light of day.

Out of 11 songs, there are no fillers, mostly killers. Barden’s voice is still holding up, and the songwriting is really a piece of work within the British Hard/Heavy Rock subgenre. Barden’s singing is stylistically not that far away from Ian Gillan, and at times you can also hear some Tony Martin and Bernie Shaw.

As mentioned, the songs follow the tradition of the Classic British Hard Rock scene with timeless Heavy Rock, complete with great choruses and well-arranged guitar work. “Amerasians” and “I’m Alive” are outstanding songs made for radio play, and the former has a really uplifting chorus along with a great twin-guitar section.

There’s a lot of whistling within the song “Marionettes,” which provides a measure of originality to Statetrooper’s second release. With the slow songs, however, they struggle a bit in making the perfect Power Ballad. “Love Lies Bleeding” is easily forgotten, although the bluesy “Don’t Say Goodbye” is, to a certain degree, a bit better.

The former MSG hero has indeed formed a great band, and the return of Statetrooper is highly welcomed. Let’s hope they get better overall treatment in the press this time … because The Calling absolutely deserves it!