WILDESTARR – Arrival

He, Dave Starr, a veteran bass player with a history with Vicious Rumors and Chastain. She, London Wilde, studio vocalist, keyboard player for more than 10 years and was in the right place and the right time to receive the offer to start something new.

He and she, together, made their first project and named it after their last names, WildeStarr, somewhere back in 2003. By implementing both of their influences, this duo made a melodic Heavy Metal album that merely hangs on their earlier experiences and future wishes.

Arrival was released last year through Furnace Maximus Records. Judging by the material, musically and lyrically, there are vast influences from the Heavy Metal world of the 80s such as Judas Priest, Vicious Rumors, Queensrÿche and Crimson Glory. The most important fact of all, this album is something delivered by the thoughts and aspirations of both artists. Everything that went in for the ride was something they wanted others to hear.

In order to complete a whole studio line-up, the band used the services of drummer Jim Hawthorne, who made quite a decent job on the recording, although the drumming lines were not too complex. As for the others, Wilde and Starr, Starr handled the guitars and bass while Wilde did her usual roles as keyboards and vocals. Overall, letting Starr do the guitar work was good a resolution, the guy is a good guitarist and a fine writer. Though the lead guitar works, (both the solos and melodic rhythms) were not the ultimate stuff as most of them got a bit overused on the majority of tracks, these are still catchy and easy to grasp. In addition, Starr made his original role as a bass player with his regular finesse.

However, the main story of Arrival and the WildeStarr project is London Wilde. Besides forming the album’s ground with a cloud of keyboards, London used her voice as the perfect weapon. It is unknown why no suitable band in the Metal world hasn’t caught up with this lady, she is a dynamite screaming banshee. She has a strong voice that can reach superfluous towering notes; it is like listening to a feminine Halford/Tate/Albert like singer, what can be better than that? Starr wrote most of the music and did quite a good job, yet, Wilde is the winner of this given setting with her awesome voice while making some of the repetitive riffs sound interesting and compelling.

WildeStarr arrived and they are here to stay as a band/project. Their debut release is a necessity for every Heavy Metal fan that has reverence for the 80s yet; it can sit well with anyone who has a thing for modernized productions. This album has power, sort of simplicity, melody and a strong vocal line; the several shortcomings will stay behind because of its command.