by Sebastian Kluth
There is no doubt that American quartet Blood Star is a shining new star on the New Wave of Heavy Metal horizon. The band has been around for seven years already and has built a solid underground reputation with the release of two of their own songs and three cover tracks in the recent past. Debut studio album First Sighting is however the band's genuine baptism of fire and it has been met with positive to enthusiastic reactions. It wouldn't come as a surprise at all to find this release on quite a few lists for greatest records of the year.
Instead of sounding old-fashioned, First Sighting sounds timeless with its organic, simple and vibrant production. The tight drum play intertwined with percussive elements, the playful bass guitar sounds honouring the heroes of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal two score years ago, the excellent guitar play finding the right balance between energetic riffs and melodic soloing as well as the charmingly natural mid-register female lead vocals form a well-oiled machinery that sounds as if it had been operating together for decades on end. Quite a few references have been brought up by other reviewers but two contemporary bands that Blood Star remind me of would be Ottawa's own obscure underground band Black Tower and Brooklyn's brightest Sanhedrin.
First Sighting includes several remarkable tunes. ''Fearless Priestess'' for instance is equally catchy, energetic and melodic and qualifies as excellent heavy metal anthem that could have been released forty years ago, that could have been released right now or that could still be released in four decades from here. This song finds the perfect balance between grit and harmony and should work amazingly in concert.
''The Observers'' is the record's most outstanding tune because it's significantly different from every other track, even the short instrumental interlude that serves as an atmospheric breather. This song bravely enters occult progressive rock territory in the key of Blue Öyster Cult and even flirts with early gothic rock influences such as Siouxsie and the Banshees. Lead vocals are performed by guitarist Jamison Palmer whose lower register is filled with warm vibes that make think of a slow summer sunset deep in Utah's wilderness. Lead vocalist Madeline Smith only appears in the final quarter of the tune and her enchanting, melodic and soft vocals blend in amazingly for the song's climax and coda. Blood Star should definitely analyze this song as a successful experiment and keep writing more of these wonderful duets in the future.
A last song I would like to single out is album closer ''Wait to Die'' that goes boldly back to the golden age of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the very early eighties. The drum play is dynamic, the bass guitar takes some bold leadership, the guitar riffs are enthusiastic and the powerful female vocals are the cherry atop the cake. Many heavy metal fans express regret that they might have missed the golden years of the genre but this song here brings those days back to life without blandly copying the legends of yore. This song simply unites the musicianship of then with the spirit of now when underground bands fronted by charismatic women are ready to conquer the world thanks to social media and streaming devices.
There are only a few minor reasons why this release doesn't get an even higher rating. First and foremost, the band has decided not to include its first two songs on this debut album which means that quite a few new fans could initially be missing out on them. Up next, several songs on this output qualify as solid heavy metal but don't quite manage to reach excellence or even perfection just yet. Finally, one has to point out the record's extremely short length of below thirty-three minutes. While it's certainly true that quality triumphs over quantity, I'm also fully convinced that a few additional songs by the band would have rated this album up rather than down when looking at the band's excellent chemistry, timeless songwriting and positively nostalgic spirit.
At the end of the day, Blood Star's debut album First Sighting is highly recommended to all fans of female-fronted heavy metal and especially to people who like everything from occult rock music of the late sixties over gothic rock of the late seventies to New Wave of British Heavy Metal until the mid-eighties. Blood Star's First Sighting brings the spirit of the music of yore back to life in a credible, energetic and youthful way. The final result is refreshingly timeless and should go down as one of the strongest genre debut albums in this day and age. Give this record a fair spin and I'm sure you won't feel like you will have been wasting your time at all.
Final Rating: 80%