DEAR SUPERSTAR - DAMNED RELIGION
Blast Records

Dear Superstar hail from Manchester, though you’d never guess it from their LA sleaze rock sound. Now, don’t get me wrong – this isn’t ghastly hair metal power balladry; rather, it’s pretty thumping metal with a swagger and cocksure attitude that you’ll either love or hate. But behind the confidence is an album that justifies such self-belief.

Opening up with the anthemic title track, the band are clearly in no mood to take prisoners and keep things rocking with a seamless slide into Change Yesterday, a blasting number that’ll have you nodding your head vigorously. The band set their stall out with song titles like Anthem To My Life and Glitter Just Like Gold – fist-punching, mosh-pit filling belters performed with gusto.

And so it goes – track after track of thunderous but infectiously tuneful no-bullshit rock from a band who are clearly not interested in trying to redefine the genre – a welcome relief. The band clearly have big ambitions – everything here feels like it should be belted out in arenas – and on the strength of this, they are more than capable of reaching their goals if they get the breaks (and let’s not forget, they are based in country where the media will do everything possible to marginalise even the biggest metal acts).

Clearly, if rock is dead, then no-one has had the nerve to tell Dear Superstar, who are determined to kick the corpse back to life – and are probably good enough to do so.

DAVID FLINT

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