Marc Hudson, vocalist for DragonForce, has never done a solo album, until now. Napalm Records brings you the most awesome Starbound Stories. It is Super Saiyan AWESOME! I’m a huge lover of anime and video games. So, if you are a huge lover of power metal, anime, and video games, you will flat-out love this album. The second song ‘Freedom Heart’, sung by Ryoji Shinomoto, is epic. It’s the perfect start to a boss-level anime. It’s happy and uplifting and full of sweeping movement. Frédéric Leclercq (Sinsaenum, Kreator, and also formerly of DragonForce himself) unleashes some amazing guitar work.
The songs on Starbound Stories are just so perky and upbeat. They put a smile on your face and make you happy. There is a brightness to the music that is sorely missed in a lot of modern music. Songs like ‘Astralive’ have a triumphant feel, yet enable the listener to have a sense of wonder when enjoying the songs. Like many anime songs, ‘Astralive’ is uplifting and about overcoming adversity while believing in yourself.
Rich Smith’s drumming is wicked good, the complexities and rhythms do not overshadow the composition but rather elevates it. ‘Swansong’ pulls at the heartstrings. It’s gobsmackingly beautiful. Hudson’s voice is full of pathos and transcendent joy. The title track, ‘Starbound Stories’ makes you feel like you are indeed flying through poofy white clouds and blue skies. Listening to the song, you feel like you can conquer anything and do anything and achieve anything.
It’s crazy how much listening to music can change how you feel and how you interact with the world around you. To have virtuosos like Marc Hudson composing and performing music that transcends the physical realm is a glorious thing. From actual studies to old wives’ tales to that “feeling” you get at a concert, it’s been shown that the kind of music you listen to can have a huge impact on your mood and emotional state. Marc Hudson truly created “happy pills” with Starbound Stories.
Starbound Stories is an amazing, positive, upbeat album that should be listened to and enjoyed by the whole world.
Buy the album here:
https://www.napalmrecordsamerica.com/marchudson
9 / 10
VICTORIA ANDERSON