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March 2023

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[ More Music Reviews ]

Starblind: Black Bubbling Ooze

Traditional Heavy Metal

4.0/5.0

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Pure Steel Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 29.07.2020 | Released: 31.07.2020

Channeling the spirit of Iron Maiden and all things NWoBHM, Sweden's Starblind returns with their fourth and latest studio album, Black Bubbling Ooze. I'm not sure what the meaning of the album title is, but a closer look at the album art shows something black and bubbling. All will be divulged later in the review.

Starblind

Alright. So in the case of this new album, as King Solomon once said, there's nothing new under the sun. Starblind is not reinventing themselves (or the wheel for that matter). The aforementioned path of NWoBHM traditional metal is still the road traveled by Starblind. They've got twin guitar harmony and roaring solos, gallop and groove in the rhythm section to mix heavy and power metal, and vocalist Marcus Olkerud somewhat channeling Bruce Dickinson. When I first heard him on the Never Seen Again album, I wasn't all that impressed. But his voice seems to have matured on the current album. But the strengths of any Starblind song will always be two things: the guitar lines, especially the thrilling solos, and the prominence of the bass line in the rhythm section. These things are heard throughout the album, but notable songs include Here I Am, Room 101, The Man Of The Crowd, and At The Mountain Of Madness, wherein the black bubbling ooze is found in the refrain. For something somewhat different, The Reckoning treats listeners to an acoustic guitar and synth intro, but then doesn't waste time getting to the fast and heavy power metal.

All in all, Black Bubbling Ooze finds Sweden's Starblind once more adapting traditional heavy/power metal, reminiscent of the NWoBHM and especially Iron Maiden, for 21st century metalheads.

Black Bubbling Ooze finds Sweden's Starblind once more adapting traditional heavy/power metal, reminiscent of the NWoBHM and especially Iron Maiden, for 21st century metalheads.

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