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Starborn: Savage Peace
Starborn - Savage Peace Music Review

Starborn: Savage Peace

Traditional Heavy Metal
4.0/5.0

The first and last time I heard from England's Starborn was their demo EP Born By The Wind, four songs of raw, rough, and rumbling traditional heavy power metal. Since then they've dropped another EP, the five song The Dreaming City, and have been bothered by pesky personnel changes. Now the band returns with their first full-length album, Savage Peace, signed to Germany's Iron Shield Records.

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Starborn

To cut to the chase, I liked everything about Starborn's Savage Peace and their modern interpretation of traditional heavy metal music. If you're sensing an exception is coming, your spider sense is tingling. Except for the vocals. Starborn's metal is much more creative, sophisticated, and even more polished than that first demo EP. The band has come a long way in shear talent and experience.

Formed by two guitarists, Christopher Foley and Sean Atkinson, the guitar work is quite thrilling with the shredding riffs, twin guitar harmony, and epic killer solos. The rhythm section is also considerable, delivering the necessary power, speed, and groove that NWoBHM-style metal requires. But then there's vocalist Bruce Turnbull. I'm sure he's simply trying sing in an old school metal style, perhaps something akin to Bruce Dickinson. But he can be a raging screecher and screamer at times. You know that sound of finger nails on a chalkboard? Ugh. Maybe not quite like that, but pretty darn close. Frankly, after two songs I was tired of his voice and, except for writing this review, I didn't want to listen to Savage Peace another time. Honesty. It's a bitch. Nevertheless, because the heavy metal is terrific, I'm going to keep the album handy, hoping my ears adapt to the vocals.

But you may feel differently. So here's the take away. If you can forbear the vocals, you'll find that Starborn and Savage Peace delivers a solid album of well-crafted, guitar-forward traditional heavy metal. Recommended.


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The Bottom Line

If you can forbear the vocals, you'll find that Starborn and Savage Peace delivers a solid album of well-crafted, guitar-forward traditional heavy metal. Recommended.

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