Jack Starr is one of the more distinguished heavy metal personalities in the United States. The guitarist got his start in Virgin Steele, but then continued on his own, eventually starting his longest running project, Jack Starr’s Burning Starr. The band released Rock the America Way back in 1985, and they are still doing just that. Over the years, there were many configurations of Burning Starr, all of them very distinct and unique sounding. This set is a fantastic overview of a very long and impressive career.
Metal Generation 1985-2017 includes seven CDs filled with Burning Starr albums, side projects, rarities, and live recordings. The albums in this set include: Rock the American Way, No Turning Back, Blaze of Glory, Burning Starr, Under a Savage Sky, Land of The Dead, Stand Your Ground, and Keep The Metal Burning: Live in Germany. In addition to these records, there are recordings of the Strider Project from 1991, and a disc or rarities, From the Vault. Many of the records included here are out of print, or difficult to track down. Keep The Metal Burning: Live in Germany was only available digitally up until now. One of the biggest surprises is Under a Savage Sky. Originally it was released back in 2003, as Jack Starr’s Guardians of The Flame. It was a band, Starr had with the late singer, Shmoulik Avigal, of Picture fame. It was an incredible album that never got properly recognized. Here’s your chance to hear it, although it now presented as a Burning Starr record. Technically speaking, besides Defiance from 2009, and the most recent, Souls of The Innocent, this set includes everything Burning Starr ever did.
Burning Starr plays a very traditional metal, in fact Jack Starr is one of the pioneers of the genre on this side of the Atlantic. While the band wasn’t always the flavor of the month, they always delivered uncompromising albums that stood on its own. Even after so many years later, these albums still rock and feel fresh. The production wasn’t always top notch, but the spirit was always there. Listening to this set is a trip down the memory lane. Not only do you hear the music, but see events that were taking place as this music was being released. In many ways one may realize how significant these songs were.
Metal Generation 1985-2017 is a great set of heavy metal history. The discs are accompanied by a very informative booklet. The whole story is very nicely explained with many great details, and some interesting trivia. It makes this box a whole. If you never heard of Burning Starr, this is a great place to start, if you already a fan, you want this for the rarities and completion purposes. It’s definitely a must have either way!
Mark Kadzielawa
Great review and I know I speak for all the Burning Starr members when I say we all appreciate the review of our new box set
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