DEATHSTARS - Synthetic Generation

[NAD]

DEATHSTARS - Synthetic Generation (2003)
http://www.deathstars.net
Nuclear Blast

1. Semi-Automatic
2. Synthetic Generation
3. New Dead Nation
4. Syndrome
5. Modern Death
6. Little Angel
7. The Revolution Exodus
8. Damn Me
9. The Rape
10. Genocide
11. No Light

Average blackened techno metal. All the riffs, keyboards, and vocals are competent but unspectacular. Like ROB ZOMBIE sans excitement, or maybe a darker version of Peter Tägtgren's PAIN without a master songwriter behind the helm. Catchy but a bit bland.

If you are a techno metal nut or if you like a back to basics no frill approach to this style, DEATHSTARS may be your thing. To me they are nothing more than the typical cookie cutter band, and I'd pick THEE MALDOROR KOLLECTIVE or even ABORYM any day of the week over this.

NOTE: This band's homepage found in the booklet (http://www.thedeathstars.com) points to a PAIN update page with a plug for DEATHSTARS toward the beginning. IIIEIEIISRRIWIIEISDSS...

5/10

 

[Erik]

The truly sad thing is that this band used to be fucking SWORDMASTER, a great black/thrash/death band from Gothenburg, until they decided to TOTALLY sell out. (Nicke Terror of Runemagick left prior to that though) I've read an interview with them, and that's really what happened: they were approached after a Swordmaster gig by some record company executive who said "hey, what if you dumbed down your music to shit and got a stupid fucking Marilyn Manson image, think how much you'd sell!" and they did it. Pathetic. One of the guys in Deathstars is Emil Nödtveidt, that's right, brother of Jon of Dissection. GAY. He should know better.

 

[JayKeeley]

And by the way, "Deathstars" could be the worse band name in history, next to "Edguy".

 

[Erik]

The record label decided on the name for them. No joke. This is a total and utter by-the-book sell out.

 

[Everlost]

Well I'm not sure Swordmaster was such a great name either (although.. compared to Deathstars.. hehe)

Erik:
I heard from some people that only the debut album was worth getting.. but maybe I was wrong? Should I look into their Nicke Terror days as well?

 

[NAD]

Thanks for the history there, Erik. I'm surprised I gave this a 6/10 because it was extremely dull, I think I'll edit that...

Would give it a 4/10 but for a rating that low, I'd have to spin the album one more time to make sure it deserved it, and I'm not willing to even search for where I tossed this crappy promo when I was done, let alone listen to it again.

 

[Demonspell]

The name and album cover suggest what would happen if a metal band competed on American Idol...needless to say, that's enough to ensure that it's shit.

 

[Everlost]

Yeah I heard somewhere that Postmortem tales would be a bit thrashy/deathy in comparison to Wraths of time.