Review Summary: Starset attempt a somewhat more streamlined version of their debut, yet it still leaves a lot to be desired.
When it comes to modern rock and metal, we rarely see bands that are as ambitious as Starset nowadays. Right from the start, Dustin Bates and his company of absurdly dressed astronaut band members brought us a combination of modern mainstream rock and cinematic production elements that were more or less attempts at trying to give Hans Zimmer a run for his money. Their debut album,
Transmissions, was an overlong, overblown and flawed mess, but that being said it was still enjoyable and, in certain respects, unique. The blend of cinema-score wankery and rock may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but it did show that Starset had the potential to bring life back (somewhat) to a genre that was plagued by numerous amounts of trash for the past twenty years. Regardless, there was a lot of room for improvement.
To give Starset some credit, they try to fix some of the issues that was marred on their debut with their sophomore record,
Vessels. The production elements and Hans Zimmer bullsh*t are dialed back to a certain degree. Several songs rely more on the power of the natural sounds of the guitars, with riffs being a lot more present on songs like ‘Into The Unknown’ and ‘Gravity of You’. The only downside is that many of these riffs aren’t particularly original in comparison to more well-known groups such as Breaking Benjamin, and particularly Red. However, what saves this issue are the overall composition and the well-written melodies. If anything, it’s those two factors that ultimately make this record, for better and for worse. For what this album lacks is progressivism, it certainly makes up for in personality and charm. As incredibly long as this album is (managing to hit the 70-minute mark), there aren’t too many dull moments. The only real low points that are found on the record are mainly in the first half as the band’s attempts at trying to create an emotional response in songs like ‘Ricochet’ and ‘Die For You’ pretty much fall flat on their faces. ‘Satellite’ might also be considered a weak link with a real lack of energy as a way to make it sound ‘darker’.
One of the bigger and more noticeable changes in direction is the more pop-oriented songwriting. ‘Monster’ and ‘Last to Fall’ rely more on catchier choruses and simpler melodies rather than the complex production elements found in much of the album, making them more memorable. Despite this, the band never really strays too far from their original sound. Even with the more accessible songwriting ideas included, the songs still contain their overblown cinematic flair that will keep fans loyal, the best example being the best track on the album ‘Back to the Earth.’ The lyrical content on the other hand falls into the shallow end of the pool. Many of the songs’ themes are the more or less the typical commentary on what’s right and what’s wrong, heartbreaking relationships and so on and so forth. It’s never as deep as it’s trying to be, and at times it’s cringeworthy.
In terms of Dustin Bates’ performance is concerned, he does a passable job on the record as a whole. He is a fairly competent vocalist as he tries to bring his voice to life despite his obviously limited range. His growls are much more present in this record than on the debut and it does feel like he at least wants to bring out more emotion into his performances. However it does fall short in many areas as the autotuned effects are much more obvious than before, especially on ‘Starlight’ and ‘Die For You’. Again, the guitar and bass performances from Brock Richards and Ron DeChant are certainly standard for what they are. While credit is given to the fact that there does seem to be more focus on the actual instrumentation, it’s all incredibly basic and never really interesting, even for mainstream rock standards. Then again, the band was always more about the production and composition rather than the actual instrumentation. The ending outros on many of the songs on the other hand, while certainly more constrained, are still incredibly pointless as they fail to help drive any form of a concept forward throughout the album, and are better left out of the whole record.
Vessels is certainly a tough album to really form an opinion on. Both sides of the argument have valid points from the overall composition and effort into the production to the pointless outros and the basic instrumentation. There are some enjoyable moments where the pretentious production elements work to the band’s advantage, and it’s a bit more memorable and consistent than
Transmissions. Yet the overt amount of spacey-electronic sounds that layer the entire record into a 70-minute slog doesn’t necessarily make the album completely worth your time. It’s enough for the fans to keep listening and the detractors to keep complaining. You’re going to get what you expect, and that’s really all there is to it.
