Album Review — Starbreaker

Starbreaker — Dysphoria

Tony Harnell is back with a third Starbreaker record, “Dysphoria”. Harnell was the long time singer for TNT and had a short stint in Skid Row. The band also features guitarist Magnus Karlsson who shares center stage on the front cover artwork.

The first thing that I should say about this record is Harnell sounds great. He’s been around since the mid 80s with TNT and he sounds as good if not better on this record than he did back then. Harnell has tremendous range and he features all of it on Dysphoria.

There are a couple of heavy rockers and one ballad but the best tracks fall somewhere in between. For me, the best parts of the record fall in that space in between. Karlsson’s guitar is all over this record as he seems at home shredding or just filling in the spaces on the ballad.

“Pure Evil” is the first track and it’s one of the heavy songs. It kind of reminds me of Dokken’s “Kiss of Death”. Heavy guitar riff but enough melody in the chorus to keep my interest. I appreciate Harnell’s range, but on the heavier songs he tends to go way up high which is not my favorite.

The album really kicks in for me starting with the second track, “Wild Butterflies”. It’s mid-tempo with plenty of guitar and Harnell’s voice fits right in. Think a combination of Journey and some of the newer Euro Melodic Rock stuff (Nordic Union, Eclipse, etc.).

“Last December” is up next and has a similar feel to “Wild Butterflies”. Big chorus, lots of guitar and lots of melody.

“My Heart Belongs To You” sounds very similar to the Augeri-led Journey stuff. Big chorus, Karlsson doing his best Schon riffing, and Harnell’s soaring vocals.

Other highlights include “How Many More Goodbyes” which is another melodic rocker and “Fire Away” which reminds me of something off the latest Nordic Union record.

The album ends with the Judas Priest cover “Starbreaker” which bookends the album with the two heaviest tracks.

I find it impressive that the band can cover Judas Priest and mimic Journey on the same record. It shows the diversity of the band’s playing ability and Harnell’s voice.

Overall I like this record. Like the Inglorious record I reviewed last week, listening to this record makes me want to go back and check out their previous albums. And like the Inglorious record, it’s a pleasant surprise.

Grade — 85 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Pure Evil
2. Wild Butterflies *
3. Last December *
4. My Heart Belongs To You*
5. Beautiful One
6. Dysphoria
7. How Many More Goodbyes*
8. Fire away *
9. Bright star blind me
10. Starbreaker

*Best Songs