Bazaar of Wonders

Russia seems to be supplying a near endless supply of metal bands in recent years, with excellent acts rearing their heads, such as Grai, Hammerforce and Senmuth, just to name a few. Hailing from the Moscow region, Starsoup is another Russian band attempting to break out of their home country. Starsoup is a Russian band hailing from Moscow that was formed 2011. The band quickly released a single, Angels, in 2011, and followed up with their first full length album, Bazaar of Wonders, which was released in the last quarter of 2013.

Let's make this simple, right from the beginning. Starsoup's debut album is completely forgettable. With that out of the way, let's talk about why. While the band does boast some excellent musicianship and a few sections that are enjoyable, the end result is watered down, radio friendly drivel. Tracks like “Past Bites” and “Rumors of a Better Life” show the band aping Nickelback and Three Days Grace, as the sound on those tracks is reminiscent of that god awful post-grunge, alterna-rock scene: melodic guitars with no strength and pedestrian drumming coupled with limp, wanna-be tough guy vocals. They do throw in a few crunchy, slightly heavy riffs here and there just to show they are still trying to be heavy. “Ain't No Superman” is by far the worst track in this regard, utilizing a bouncy, mallcore flavored riff coupled with a bit of chunky riffing while the singer does his best post-grunge impression, only attempting a gruffer, tough guy style. Let's not even get into the ridiculous lyrics on that song either. There are also a few segments of saxophone driven butt rock sprinkled throughout, which wouldn't be that big of a deal if the rest of the album was completely solid, but it's not, and the saxophone lines fall flat, sounding completely out of place.

The only memorable tracks on this album are “Angels” and “Bazaar”. The former showcases the band performing a rollicking prog metal piece with instrumental flourishes, but nothing too showy. The vocals go for a more melodic, James Labrie style which, while not overly forceful, sound a hell of a lot better than the alterna-rock vocals of the rest of the album. “Bazaar” showcases a slightly middle eastern feel in the keyboard embellishments and shows some heavy, power metal styled riffing. The best part of “Bazaar” is that there are no vocals to ruin the music. I shouldn't say that, because while the vocals do suck for the rest of the songs, the music is pretty lackluster too. It's sad, though, because “Angels” and “Bazaar” show such promise.

There are a few piano led segments that work surprisingly well, like the instrumental “Rain in the Desert”, which is a calm and serene piece utilizing watery sound clips, and “Voices of the Wind” which brings forth female vocals to counter the weak Labrie styled vocals. The duet is performed to a subtle piano line and the harmonized vocals sound better than anything else on the album. It could be because the majority of the album is watered down radio rock that I could just be pining for anything different. I shouldn't write off everything else as terrible, because there are some nice riffs and instrumental flourishes throughout, like the keyboard fills and prog-styled licks during “Cradle of War” and the heavy, groove-laden riffing during “Past Bites”. But then again, these segments of awesome are sandwiched between radio alterna-rock and bouncy mallcore.

Starsoup's debut full length, Bazaar of Wonders, is pretty awful. While, the band shows some promise with their progressive flourishes and strength during “Bazaar” and “Angels”. I can't recommend this anyone. If you dig alterna-rock, you already have your radio staples. If you dig progressive rock or metal, there really isn't enough here to get excited about. Two good tracks and two so-so tracks amidst a pile of garbage. Steer clear of this one, people.

Written for The Metal Observer:
http://www.metal-observer.com/