Sometimes an album just has a great vibe and the sound captures a moment in time.’Welcome To My World’ is one of those albums where every song seems strangely familiar even though you’ve never heard them before. Starmen the band behind it all have an image too – imagine Kiss without the garish costumes and sporting more regular ‘hair metal’ attire, and all with one design of make-up – a star – with each member sporting a different colour. So with an image like Kiss on a budget the question is do they have the chops to justify such an outrageous image? Well they certainly hit a lot of right notes on their debut…
‘Dreaming’ opens up like a fine draught of 70’s rock before the vintage Kiss notes kick in. An immediately there’s a little Paul Stanley in the voice especially when the screams come. And whilst ‘Face The Truth’ is mellower it soon gets some crunch and the chorus soars. Imagine Kiss with more experimentation and more room for guitar heroics.
‘Ready To Give Me Your Love’ is a great affirmative slab of vintage radio rock and just as you think the good time rocking is never gonna stop comes the ballad ‘Stay The Night’ which in all honesty is a little dreary and for me completely takes the wind out of the albums’ sails.
Thankfully ‘Warrior’ is back to pure 80’s Kiss and pretty damn good at that; while ‘Freewheelin” rides a nice chunky riff and gets a bit jaunty but its not one of the best here before ‘Evil’ takes a heavier stance just to mix it up.
‘Welcome To My World’ the title track is another class act and brings back the good time 70’s riffing and vocal that really is rather Paul Stanley. It’s definitely one of the best here. So if you love the music of yesteryear with a smattering of 70’s and a load of 80’s and plenty of Kiss and miss the likes of Wig Wam and The Poodles you’ll love this.
The album rounds out in fine style too with the groove-laden poppy paean to climate change ‘Mayday’; the great riff rocker ‘R.I.P.’ and the old school classic rock of ‘Mission Man’; and it’s all rounded out by the closer ‘Electrified’ which sums it all up nicely.