Deathstars – Night Electric Night

Releasedate: 30-01-2009; Label: Nuclear Blast
By: Petra Ghuijs

Being a fan of the Deathstars and their unique sound for quite some years now, I was very excited to review their latest album: “Night Electric Night”.

The album kicks off with “Chertograd”, a song that, at first, reminds me of “Tongues” (the opening song for the previous Deathstars album: “Termination Bliss”), but then transforms into a completely different, but still very much Deathstars trademark, song. The real take-off for this album is title-song “Night Electric Night”, a song that fits in perfectly with the unique Deathstars style and sound. When I arrive at “Mark of the Gun”, however, the band diverts from their usual style. The band really surprised me with the way they took on a different style but managed to stay true to their own characteristic sound, which their fans both know and love. This achievement is repeated time after time on this album, with many different styles and sometimes even sounds worked into the songs, while still being recognisable as the Deathstars. This, combined with the themes and lyrics, gives me the idea that this album is more personal than the previous two.

Of these revolutionary songs, two of my personal favourites are “Via The End” and “Archlight”. These two songs are miles apart in sound, “Via The End” being ghostly and “Archlight” much more electronical. These songs are alternated with more classic examples of Deathstars music, like “Babylon” and “Venus In Arms”.
For me, the biggest surprise of the album is final track “Opium”. On the previous albums, the final track was usually slower than and not as heavy as the rest of the tracks. “Opium”, however, is more like the climax of this album. Faster and slower rhythms are alternated, and almost all the newer and older styles of this album are combined. You might think this would create a hopelessly chaotic song, but the band has managed to combine all these elements into one, which has led to what is in my opinion the one of the best songs this band has ever produced.
Overall, the album is completely different from the previous two. The band has progressed and expanded their repertoire, without getting out of touch with themselves, their characteristic sound or their fan base. By alternating between more classic Deathstars songs and new styles and sounds the band has produced an album that is likely to be received positively by both their existing fan base and a new audience. I can’t wait to see them perform this new material live in the upcoming tour.

Links:
Deathstars MySpace
Deathstars Official