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Starcastle - “Song of Times”

There is an expression that goes: The more things change, the more things stay the same. And sometimes that’s a good thing. In particular here I’m referring to the new release from American progressive rock band Starcastle. I’d been hearing about a new recording for so long I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen. Well I’m glad to tell you, it’s out and it’s great. ***

For those not familiar with the history of Starcastle, suffice to say they had four huge albums out in the late eighties and were easily on par with then contemporary progressive bands such as Kansas. When they started working on this release the line-up was nearly identical to that of the seventies. That changed with the passing of bassist Gary Strater, an event that hit the band hard. Fortunately for us they soldiered on, adding new vocalist Al Lewis and a host of guests who contributed to the final product.***

The music of Starcastle in 2007 picks up where they left off in 1978. And yet it is every bit as modern as anything else out there. The trademark sounds are all there, the high-tenor vocals, the distinctive bass and the familiar guitar licks. All leading to the most trite of questions, Do they still sound like Yes? To that I’d answer yes and no. I’m one of those out there who’ve never seen Starcastle as a Yes clone. While they may borrow some of the sounds and flavours their compositions are nothing like Yes. They are Starcastle. Song of Times starts out with a pretty intense five-minute rocker called “Red Season” which has some interesting change-ups and gets the CD off with a bang. That then slides into the longest track “Babylon” at 9:24. This track features a couple of different solo segments that bookend the vocals. The songs themes are then reprised at the end of the CD. The title track “Song of Times”, a ballad, features minimal instrumentation with an emphasis on the vocals. The track “Islands” is interesting because it has that early seventies feel, think Flash or early Yes. And so it goes. Each track is precisely arranged, symphonic, full, even lush sounding with some great analog synth sounds, plenty of beautiful vocal harmonies and many opportunities for soloing. Nothing is overly complex, but the compositions are varied with some nice variation between fast and slow, loud and soft. All that being said this is a very modern sounding disc and Starcastle still inject a strong rocking element. It sounds brilliant.***

I’m pretty sure that if you were a fan of Starcastle in the seventies you’ll love Song of Times. The band has gone through a lot but has picked up where they left off without skipping a beat. All the familiar elements are there. For fans of that symphonic Ameriprog sound this will be a tasty addition to the music collection. Welcome back Starcastle, it’s been far too long.