German blackened-thrashers Ketzer are back with album number three and if you loved their previous two efforts, then brace yourself because Starless could well be their best release to date!
The thing about Starless is that it’s a piece that immediately demands your attention – Ketzer don’t mess about and get right to business by opening with the title track, which begins with a catchy little guitar riff that almost immediately descends into the vocals, which are absolutely tremendously delivered and continue as such throughout the entire album. They’re not overpowering but have a great driving force behind them, and as such really help to keep things moving. At times the music is a little simplistically constructed but this is an approach that has worked for Ketzer.
Later tracks in the album are just as memorable as the earlier ones, resulting in an all-round consistent album from the band and one of the highlights is White Eyes, a track that starts off acoustically before the band slowly add more elements until the listener is presented with a mighty and hard-hitting track that packs a real punch.
As a whole, Starless is a great listen and showcases a band that is currently on the up – 2016 is surely going to be Ketzer’s year.
8/10
