Blood Star is a heavy metal band from the USA formed by Visigoth guitarist Jamison Palmer and featuring Madeline Smith on vocals. The band’s debut release, the two-song E.
P. ‘The Fear’, was released in 2020, followed three years later (in 2023) by their first full-length album, ‘First Sighting’.
Featuring eight songs across thirty-two minutes, the debut album from Blood Star is a traditional heavy metal fuelled gallop of headbang ability – the band more mature and harder hitting than their previous release. Breathing life into the album, ‘All For Nothing’ is a tremendous tirade of infectious metal to get the blood flowing and adrenaline pumping. The vocals of Madeline are so melodious and dreamy that you’re immediately captivated, totally hooked on the aural assault pleasuring your ears! And thundering in with a tad more menace than the opener, ‘Fearless Priestess’ is a heavy-hitting Judas Priest-esque metal march – the band delivering an opening one-two of incredible “foot on the monitor” metal. The double-barrelled welcome to the new album is savage yet magnificent, displaying everything great about the traditional style of heavy metal. And from an American band too! A band that’s over forty years and four and a half thousand miles away from where heavy metal began!
Picking up the pace, power and energy, the band romp on at full tilt with the galloping ‘No One Wins’ – banging every head of every metalhead from all around the world. The pace is incredible, Blood Star showing a clean pair of heels to leave many of their contemporaries in their wake! Returning to the Judas Priest feel of earlier, ‘The Observers’ hammers home a thunderous foot-stomping attitude, and what the fuck? Male vocals! Madeline takes a rest from the mic here, and the band’s guitarist Jamison Palmer takes centre stage and delivers a “melodic rock” style vocal performance. I certainly didn’t see that one coming! Nor the mellower style of ‘Dawn Phenomenon’ – creeping in like a sunrise, moving stealthily and ever so majestically. For ‘Dawn Phenomenon’ is a two-minute instrumental…
…leading straight into the most hustle and bustle song heard so far, ‘Cold Moon’. The harder-hitting style of traditional heavy metal wreaks havoc and destruction, with Blood Star cracking the ground and crumbling walls with a sonic assault of menacing proportions! Yet somehow, through the magnificent Madeline and her unique voice, the band retain the melodious streak the album began with.
And now for the best song on offer, ‘Going Home’ – the most infectious, melodic, and sing long-able…hell, it’s simply the best! I defy you all not to be head-banging right now and singing along to the chant-style chorus!
Bringing a barnstorming album to a close – an album that’s nowhere near long enough – ‘Wait To Die’ is a full-on and in-your-face high-velocity gallop. The fastest song on offer by the proverbial country mile, Blood Star end ‘First Sighting’ on a terrific high. I just hope we don’t have to wait another three years for the band’s next release.
Overall, a half-hour of infectious heavy metal from one of the genre’s brightest new stars, Blood Star.
TRACKLIST
All For Nothing
Fearless Priestess
No One Wins
The Observers
Dawn Phenomenon
Cold Moon
Going Home
Wait To Die
Blood Star: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Shadow Kingdom Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
