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Star Insight > Messera > Reviews
Star Insight - Messera

Hollowed-out Ambition - 55%

doomknocker, October 27th, 2014
Written based on this version: 2014, CD, Inverse Records

Star Insight is a Finnish metal group classifying themselves as "space/black metal" within the vein of cybergoth-era The Kovanent (readily admitted on their part). They've had almost an entire decade under their belt, and seeing as Lex Icon and his group of interstellar nasties are still in carbonite, those seeking out a starborn alternative to extreme metal could use something to tide them over, if not lay full claim altogether. New blood replacing the old, after all. It took some time and doing (roughly nine years or so), but eventually their first full-length was unleashed upon the masses...

Definitely achieving a space-like atmosphere with their respective synth lines, "Messera" has moments of grandeur amidst cumbersome padding segments. Keeping the keyboards at the forefront was a good idea on their part, seeing as the staticy guitar lines don't really add much to anything save for ensuring that Star Insight is a metal act. That could have been the point, and if so then that's really something to continue shooting for in the years to come. The songwriting has more of a modern industrial vibe and arrangement scheme versus the riffs-through-the-wall appeal of black metal, and truth be told I found more enjoyment in the softer, melodic sections over the attempts at tense musical drama (e.g. the more keys-driven moments of "Emanuela" and "Night with Fever"), though I do understand that space can be dark and dangerous as well as a dreamlike place of ultimate wonder. The minor chord progressions and intense growling are proof of that, easily.

All that said, much of the time spent with "Messera" nodding along to the hooks I really dug and hoping for something of major substance to come at me during the more filler-esque material. Unfortunately I was able to pick up just about everything the band/album would offer me within the first few tracks and the rest of the album only resulted in paying close attention to the tastier moments and not properly ingesting the bulk of the songs as a whole. That being said, a bit of enjoyment is definitely better than none at all, so if nothing else there's that. And maybe it was just my copy, but throughout the tracks I'd kept hearing this distracting "BLOOP!" sound, sorta like the sound an iMac makes when you turn the computer volume up and down every few seconds. You know the sound I mean? It turns out it was the bass player overpicking particular notes. Seems like a small complaint on the surface, but for me it was distracting to the point of annoyance.

All in all outside of the keyboard segments offering plenty to enjoy I wasn't all that impressed with "Messera" for the most part. Folks within the industrial/goth musical end of things could find plenty to enjoy, but I can only hope for/expect some extra stylistic growth to take place the next time around. But we shall see...