Swedish melodic metal powerhouse Starchaser have released their second studio album, Into The Great Unknown, out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
The band also share the title track, accompanied by a music video, available now.
Guitarist Kenneth Jonsson describes the themes of the title track:
“The song ‘Into The Great Unknown’ explores humanity’s fascination with the unknown -discovering realms beyond Earth and facing the fear of the unexpected. Musically, it builds on the style of Starchaser’s first album, blending atmospheric depth and intense melodies. The layered guitars and synths evoke both wonder and apprehension, capturing the thrill and tension of venturing into uncharted territory.”
Jonsson also expresses his enthusiasm for this release, by saying: “We’re pumped to unleash Starchasers' latest album to the metal masses. Our debut ignited the scene with blazing reviews, and the fan and critic response was beyond epic. For this new record, we've delivered fiercer melodies and a more thunderous sound.”
“Ulrich and I worked in close collaboration, pushing each other to new extremes and elevating the band's performance to shredding new levels. Our combined effort has forged the songwriting into something truly formidable”, continues Jonsson. “Örjan, Johan, Eric and Kay also played crucial roles, contributing their talents to make this album a powerful force. A huge shoutout to Roger Bergsten for his crushing mix - his expertise has turned this second album into a face-melting experience. We’re stoked for you to crank it up and hope it hits as hard as our first.”
Starchaser is a new band formed by former Tad Morose guitarist Kenneth Jonsson, with vocalist Ulrich Carlsson (Shaggy, ex-M.ILL.ION), bassist Örjan Josefsson (Cibola Junction), drummer Johan Kulberg (Wolf, Therion, Hammerfall), and keyboardist Kay Backlund (Lions Share, Nils Patrik Johansson, Impera).
Initially, the musical journey that Kenneth undertook was supposed to be a solo album, but it turned into a brand new band after the chemistry between the players he was working with became apparent.
After leaving Tad Morose, Jonsson decided to focus on songwriting, by combining his “outside” musical influences – such as composers Phillip Glass and Max Richter - into the hard rock/metal genre he was known for.
His first choice for a singer was Ulrich Carlsson, whom he felt had the perfect mix of clean and raw tone in his voice, with a very melodic approach. Ulrich wrote all the lyrics and vocal melodies for the songs and came up with some arrangement ideas which Kenneth felt made the songs sound even better.
Kenneth later asked Örjan Josefsson to handle bass duties. As with Ulrich, Örjan contributes to the songs in a meaningful way and fits perfectly into the concept of the band.
Kenneth asked his friend Magnus Ulfstedt (ex drummer for Eclipse, Jimi Jamison, Nordic Union), to play on the Starchaser album, but it didn't work out due to conflicting schedules. Magnus kindly helped Kenneth to get in contact with Johan Koleberg, who turned out to be a perfect match.
Since Kenneth's songwriting is based on the piano, he needed a skilled keyboard player who could help him develop his ideas into bigger ones, so he asked Kay Backlund to play keyboards on the album and suited the concept perfectly.
The band released their debut album, Starchaser, on Frontiers Records in 2022. Largely composed by Jonsson and Carlsson, the record was produced by Roger Bergsten at Nevo Studio in Sweden.
This second album. Into The Great Unknown. will bring the band to the next level, with a consolidated chemistry between the members and, as a result, a strong songwriting and a great performance!
Into The Great Unknown tracklisting:
"Stella Exodus"
"Into The Great Unknown"
"Battalion Of Heroes"
"Who Am I"
"One By One"
"Shooting Star"
"Under The Same Sky"
"The Nightmare King"
"The Broken Empire"
"War Is A Bad Place For A Good Man"
"In A Time Of Steel"
"Far From Home"
"Battalion Of Heroes" visualizer:
Lineup:
Kenneth Jonsson - Guitars
Ulrich Carlsson - Vocals
Örjan Josefsson - Bass
Kay Backlund - Keys
Johan Koleberg - Drums
(Photo - Soile Siirtola)
