Starset: Transmissions review

Sirius XM Octane is a great tool for emerging bands. They play the latest singles from numerous up and coming bands and not many bands have benefitted as much as Starset. With their debut record Transmissions produced by Rob Graves (Red, All That Remains), set for release soon, a large audience has their eyes on Starset thanks in large part to the success of lead single, “My Demons” which has been a massive hit on Octane’s weekly countdowns. “First Light” opens the records with a futuristic space shuttle-esque liftoff countdown and is very theatrical, which leads into “Down with the Fallen,” which opens with a heart rate monitor. This one is very rock oriented with some impressive breakdowns and one of the most heartfelt scream found on the album. “Halo” is more similar to what the rest of the record is like and is electronic and synth-based rock. This track is intricate, deep and shows the true talent and creativeness Starset possess while“It Has Begun” is a beautifully composed epic with many different parts and chapters and will blow fans away with how deep the band goes. As a whole, the majority of Transmissions is similar to “Halo” and “It Has Begun” in that Starset offer up one of the most intricate and complex collections of songs released this year.  Transmissions is huge on outros and lyrically very thematic. Starset have always been a very visual band but sometimes that doesn’t translate onto a recording. With Starset, however, that does and the theme they present live can be found very clearly on Transmissions. Hats off to the band for doing something different, original and not completely mainstream; if fans dig “My Demons,” they’ll definitely love Transmissions. Rating: 8.5/10 -Reggie Edwards