Album Review — Black Star Riders
Black Star Riders — Another State Of Grace
Black Star Riders are back with their fourth studio album, “Another State Of Grace”. The band began when members of the most recent lineup of Thin Lizzy decided to write and record new material under a different name. Guitarist Scott Gorham and former Almighty singer Ricky Warwick are the only two remaining members of that original band.
The album’s first single, “Tonight The Moonlight Let Me Down”, is a great reminder that this band is the “next step in the evolution of the Thin Lizzy story”. It’s Thin Lizzy from top to bottom and even includes a little saxophone. Warwick’s vocals are very similar to the legendary Phil Lynott and the feel of the song in right in the Thin Lizzy wheelhouse.
The next song is the title track that sounds like a cross of Thin Lizzy and Dropkick Murphys. The song opening is very Dropkick Murphys but then we get that more familiar Thin Lizzy sound.
Another album highlight is “Ain’t The End Of The World”. It starts will a familiar guitar riff and Warwick channels his best Lynott. This one sounds like it could have been an uncovered track from a 70s Thin Lizzy recording session. Depending on your point of view, this is either an homage to their beginnings or a blatant copy of the classic band. I lean to the former and really like this track.
“Underneath The Afterglow” is the first track on the record that doesn’t scream Thin Lizzy. Warwick’s vocal style is so similar to Lynott that the band can’t get too far away from the comparisons, but the song itself is a little more updated.
Other album standouts include “Soldier in the Ghetto”, which is back to a little more familiar Lizzy sound, the acoustic driven “What Will It Take” and the album closer “Poisoned Heart”.
For some reason this is the first Black Star Riders album I’ve spent any time listening to. I’m not sure why I didn’t check them out earlier. I enjoy Thin Lizzy although they were slightly before my time. But after listening to “Another State of Grace”, I am definitely wanting to check out their previous three records.
As someone new to the band, it’s hard to get way from how similar they sound to Thin Lizzy. Maybe fans of the band have made their peace with it but it’s still fresh for me. But with that being said, I like the record and I really like a couple of the tracks.
85 out of 100
Track Listing
01. Tonight The Moonlight Let Me Down *
02. Another State Of Grace
03. Ain’t The End Of The World *
04. Underneath The Afterglow
05. Soldier In The Ghetto
06. Why Do You Love Your Guns?
07. Standing In The Line Of Fire
08. What Will It Take?
09. In The Shadow Of The War Machine
10. Poisoned Heart
*Best Songs