Astronoid - Stargod - review
Astronoid - Stargod - review
Tracklist
01. Embark02. Love Weapon
03. Stargod
04. Third Shot
05. Explosive
06. Dream Protocol '88
07. Beneath The Lights
08. Depressed Mode
09. Vicennium
10. Arrival
A review by
omne metallum November 18, 2025
Close your eyes, let the ethereal waves carry you off to an out-of-body experience, and watch the world and humanity scuttle like ants below: this is what it's like to be a Stargod, praise be. Astronoid have found themselves a niche and have long arranged the furniture and decorated so as to make it their own. Stargod is the latest collection of mind-bending tracks for listeners to experience, so sit back and open your mind, you're in for a journey.
As soon as you hit start on Stargod, you are lifted out of your shell and into the realms beyond, with the band's bright and driving vibrancy in full effect. The opening tandem of "Embark" and "Love Weapon" is a potent and powerful duo, leading with their two of their better steps first; it shows the Stargod is in ascendence. Astronoid's brand of vibrant shoegaze is best when it transports you to a liminal state, one where you close your eyes and your third one opens; thankfully, Stargod does this on every track. "Dream Protocol '88" is an apt title, with its guitar heroics blending with the shimmering soundscape surrounding it, to make for a compelling and mind-bending experience.
Astronoid are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, with "Beneath The Lights" showing Boland's guitar tone and playing sound like it's drawn from Devin Townsend's Ocean Machine: Biomech, while Astronoid continue to draw from their Alcest-influenced blueprints. Where Stargod hits its peak is the sonic exploration that is "Depressed Mode"; rather than instantly submerging the listener in their overdriven style, it dips in and out of it, pulling you in and pushing you out like a sonic hokey cokey.
The problem with Stargod (is it heresy to point out a flaw in a god?), and to a greater extent, Astronoid overall, is that they have created such a niche for themselves, one they make full use of and push against the boundaries, that if you dislike their sonic aesthetic, then chances are none of it is for you. A very take-it-or-leave-it band, if it doesn't click for you quickly, then I would suggest moving on and finding another altar to worship at.
All hail to thee Stargod, there is indeed a starman waiting in the sky, why don't you visit him and let him blow your mind?
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written on 18.11.2025 by
Written on 18.11.2025 by
Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm not listening. Comments
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Wasnt aware of this release, big fan of Astranoid, will have to give it a full spin!
---- "Nullum unquam exstitit magnum igenium sine aliqua dementia [there was never great genius without some madness]." Best of Metal A-Z: http://metalstorm.net/users/lists.php?user_id=158339
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