For fans of Starset, January 20, 2017, brings much more than a change in the Presidency of the United States and all that comes with that change. January 20th represents the release of the long, long, LONG awaited sophomore album, Vessels, from the Ohio-based foursome, made up of Dustin Bates (vocals and emulator), Ron DeChant (bass, keyboard, backing vocals), Brock Richards (guitar and backing vocals), and Adam Gilbert (drums). And, if I can be completely honest, this album tops my list as far as favorite albums go; it does NOT disappoint. With fifteen tracks, this album is packed with everything fans have grown to love about the band, as well as some surprises and shows a lot of growth in terms of sound.
From the very beginning, Vessels launches listeners into a completely different orbit than their 2014 release, Transmissions. “The Order” commands attention and grabbed me by the face, leading into “Satellite,” a song very reminiscent of “Telescope” or “Carnivore” in terms of their sound and vibe. In fact, longtime fans of the band will definitely feel that quite a few of the songs have a similar feel to the songs on Transmissions.
From “Frequency” and “Die For You” to “Ricochet” and “Starlight”, the album starts out feeling very familiar – which, to me, is not a bad thing. It’s always good to feel like you know that the sound you fell in love with before is still present in new releases. It makes an album and a band feel like home. From the techy, space-age instrumental music insertions into each song that fans can always count on to the vocals and instrumentals, the album starts out very strong, not pulling any punches, and building to a crescendo of sorts in the middle.
My personal favorite songs off of the album fall right there in the middle of that crescendo, where it seems the album has been building up to an emotional peak. “Into the Unknown,'” “Gravity of You,” “Back to the Earth,” and “Last to Fall” provide a passionate, heavy pinnacle to the album that I have to believe was on purpose, as the genius of Dustin Bates (along with producer Rob Graves and mixer Ben Grosse, of course) cannot be denied in any situation – especially in terms of album arrangement. I mean, Dustin’s a fucking rocket scientist who is thisclose to having a PhD in Engineering. Let’s not pretend we’re not dealing with anyone aside from a creative mad scientist who knows exactly what he is doing. We’re not, and he does.
Those tracks ripped through me, leading me to hit “replay” more than once. They blew me away. Lyrically, I was rocked to the core. Instrumentally, I was pulsed, driven, wanting more and more. I could feel the buildup and knew I was being set up to either slide smoothly down the other side or be dropped right off the proverbial cliff, a victim of musical bliss gravity, landing face first at the end of the album with no parachute to save me. Luckily, the comedown was a soft one.
The next track, “Unbecoming” is another one of my favorites. This song starts out slow and soft and definitely has more of a ballad feel than the other tunes before it, while still being fairly forceful. The lyrics to “Unbecoming” simply did me in and led me right into “Monster.” This song has already been hitting the radio pretty heavily for the last few months and is placed perfectly on this album. “Telepathic” follows “Monster,” and is the perfect segue into “Everglow,” the final track on the album. “Telepathic” feels like one last emotional plea from the band, almost like them closing the door but opening it again to get every last word and scream in before they’re through. You have to hear them out, or else.
Then, Dustin starts to damn-near whisper sweet nothings into our ears in “Everglow” and makes you feel oh-so-happy that you didn’t slam that door on them in the first place. Man, oh man. This song hit me right in the feels. Its slower melodies, pulsing instrumentals, and softer vocals combine with some pretty intimate lyrics (while still being very powerful and edgy in their own right). This is the song (and album, if I can be totally frank) that you listen to that makes you go, “Damnit, Dustin. Who hurt you?!” I can’t spoil any lyrics in this review, but if you listen, you’ll know exactly what I am talking about when you get there. It ranks up there for me with “Point of No Return” (Transmissions) in terms of emotional and sensual (with a dash of carnal) songs that will send you right into FeelingTown.
I’ll see ya there.
This album will assuredly take listeners on a ride that they won’t forget and will be happy to return to, over and over again. Lyrically, this album is quite sophisticated and brings a side of the band to light that many may have missed in their first release if they weren’t listening for it. The wordplay alone in certain spots was enough to turn this Word Nerd on, and the way that Dustin and the others behind the pen managed to put emotions into words is really quite incredible. I imagine this album is one that I can turn to any day – good, bad, celebratory, somber – and find something to strike my fancy and fit my mood. And, for me, those albums that do that find themselves firmly placed in rotation.
Dustin lets rip some pretty excellent growls that were seemingly sparse in Transmissions, which I found to be a welcome addition to Vessels. I love a good, well-placed guttural growl as much as the next girl, and I was not disappointed. Speaking of that, Dustin does not hold back on the emotional grit in his vocals, bringing a little more edge to his own personal sound, and the band seems to lean a little on the heavier side in terms of riffs and rhythm. None of these are negatives – I promise you that. The entire album is incredible from start to finish and is truly an example of Starset at their absolute finest.
If you’re looking for an excellent album that will make you think and feel while still rocking your face off, look no further. I give it five skulls, and I’d give it more if my pocket held a few extra. Look for them on tour both surrounding the release and all summer, as they are set to hit the festival circuit pretty hard in 2017. I believe this will be their biggest year yet! Pick up Vessels as soon as you can. It just may be the best thing you do with your hard-earned money this year.
VESSELS TRACKLIST
The Order
Satellite
Frequency
Die For You
Ricochet
Starlight
Into the Unknown
Gravity of You
Back to the Earth
Last to Fall
Bringing it Down
Unbecoming
Monster
Telepathic
Everglow
Review by Devon Anderson, RockRevolt Managing Editor/Journalist
