Messera is the debut full-length album from melodic/symphonic metallers Star Insight and it’s a very hit-and-miss album. It’s quite difficult to engage with at first, as it takes a little while to fully get going before the stronger tracks kick in, but it’s a decent enough listen.
There’s nothing that quite grips you about the first few tracks of the album, with songs such as Limbo and My Time Is Running Out not really containing anything that sets them apart from the crowds, but when Night With Fever gets going, it only takes a few seconds for it to leave a sizeable impression on you with a striking introduction that is soon followed by a powerful vocal delivery. The keys throughout this track are especially good and add a lot to the overall atmosphere.
Things then continue strongly from there, with Frozen Rose building on the foundations laid by Night With Fever and Star Insight absolutely powers on for the final few tracks before things come to a head with a somewhat-epic closer, Poem Of Misery. A slightly slower track in comparison to the rest of the album, the female vocals complement the instrumentation well and it’s a satisfying close to Messera.
With a reshuffle of the tracks, Messera has the potential to be a great album, but with the stronger tracks situated in the latter half of the release, it doesn’t make the impression it’s perhaps capable of.
6/10
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