Starbreaker is an all-star band, featuring vocalist Tony Harnell (ex-TNT, Westworld, Morning Wood), guitar-player Magnus Karlsson (Last Tribe, Allen/Lande, Tony O'Hora), drummer John Macaluso, (ex-TNT, Ark, Powermad, ex-Riot, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen) and drummer Fabrizio Grossi (Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Ritchie Kotzen, Starship, Ice T, Nina Hagen). The band/project came together in 2004/2005, and have so far only released 1 album.
STARBREAKER (2005) FRONTIERS
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Line-up: Tony Harnell - Vocals Magnus Karlsson - Guitars and Keyboards Fabrizio Grossi . Bass, Loops and Samples John Macaluso - Drums |
Frontiers Records seems to specialize in 2 things. 1. Reunite veteran AOR bands, and 2. create all-star projects. Starbreaker belong in the second category. And as the die-hard TNT fan I am, I was intrigued to hear what an exciting duo as Harnell/Karlsson could come up with. The result is a melodic metal platter they can be proud of. I guess the easy way to describe it would be to say that it sounds like a collaboration between Harnell and Karlsson, but that won't help much for most people I guess. The major part of the album sounds a bit like a modern version of TNT (I have this feeling that this is a direction Harnell would have loved TNT to follow). It's that same guitar-driven hard rock/melodic metal vibe, with Tony's signature voice, but with a more up-to-date production. And if you have heard any of Karlsson's bands/projects, you will most definitely recognize his style and songwriting approach too. It's almost a shame that this seems to become a one off thing, because I'd be very curious to hear what these guys could come up with next.
Killer tracks: Lies, Days Of Confusion, Transparent, Light At The End Of The World, Cradle To The Grave
Tony Harnell guest appearances:
Widowmaker - 'Blood And Bullets'
Wild Willy's Gang - 'Camouflage'
Liberty N' Justice - 'Soundtrack Of A Soul'
Magnus Karlsson guest appearances:
Primal Fear - 'New Religion'
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