DEAD STAR RENEGADE
Blackwing
Interceptor Records, 2011

By Shane Pinnegar

Described by producer Ricki Rae as full of “frankenstein songs”, Dead Star Renegade’s debut album is a world class trawl through hard rock history with some deft and wonderful touches.

Opener ‘Born To Lose’ leads the way as the album tips it’s cap to grunge while remaining upbeat and rocking hard, before ‘Supersonic’ mixes progressive touches with a vocal line that would fit Alice In Chains, a machine gun riff rattling away behind singer Jimmy Van Zeno.

There’s plenty of grunge touches and a nineties indie sensibility overlaid onto the classic hard rock template, but it’s the finely crafted melodies and strong performances on tunes like ‘Time Standing’ that really impress.

Eclectic to the end, ’20 to Life’ is bursting with punk simplicity and cock rock riffs, ‘The Serpent’ has all the brash darkness of latterday Skid Row, and only album closer fails to convince, it’s second tier Pearl Jam feel coming off as filler and not holding up to the rest of this fine album.