Stargazery is a Finnish band from the northern city of Oulu, a place where I have been many times and never has anyone mentioned the band to me. Looks like I need to have a quiet word with a couple of people because if Stargazery is a secret then we need to spread the word and soon! The band formed in 2005 and was originally known as Stargazer, I leave it to you to guess their influences given the name, but they soon added the extra Y to differentiate from all the other bands around with the same name. They released their debut, Eye On The Sky in 2011 and their follow-up, Stars Aligned, in 2015 – and now comes their third album, Constellation. After extensive plays on Spotify (other music streamers available) I quickly became a convert to this exceptional power metal band, with a fair amount of pomp and symphonic rock to their sound too. Their two earlier albums are excellent but their new one puts the band in a much higher league and is one of those albums that everyone needs in their collection.
They have tweaked the line-up and now feature original members Jari Tiura on vocals and Pete Ahonen on guitar with new boys Illka Leskelä (coming in on drums in 2017) and bassist Marko Pukkila and Pasi Hiltula on keyboards (both joining last year). Samy Nyman also appears a guest supplying bass on four of the ten tracks. For sure there are elements of early Rainbow and Black Sabbath about their sound, but you can also hear hints of Shadow Gallery, Bonfire and Freedom Call too. The guys themselves have a wealth of experience between them, with Pete Ahonen producing some great work with Burning Point and singer Jari Tiura having experience with MSG and Snakegod as well.
If you like your music on a grand scale then Stargazery are recommended as each track has that special epic feel, and they perform a bombastic metal that sweeps you along with the proceedings. Huge guitar leads and some absolutely thrilling keyboard runs keep standards at the highest level. The choruses are big and magnificent, with superb vocal harmonies and thundering bass and drums keeping the sound loud and energy levels high. They have a trump card in Jari Tiura, a truly amazing singer with huge lungs and a true appetite for rock ‘n’ roll. I had not heard of the band before (which is criminal!) and I urge you to check them out too, as this is absolutely indispensable power metal from an incredible band.
Thank you very much!