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STARFORCE
Beyond The Eternal Night

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 8.5/10

Nice, if somewhat eye-frazzling cover art adorns this debut full-length from Mexican metallers StarForce. Since 2021 the band have issued two split projects, an EP (The Universe Is Mine) and several singles, so it only seemed right that the next move should be an album.

After a very sci-fi opening (‘Up To The Collapse In The Far Future’) the combo strikes from the solar system with ‘Andrómeda’. The cosmic vibrations are obvious as Mely “Wild” Solis leads us into a scintillating storm of sizzling axe work and her own scorching vocal tirades. From the off I’m reminded of those Chastain albums of the 80s, like The Voice Of The Cult (1988), where mesmeric guitar work would cavort with strong female vocals. Mely is quite the powerhouse, flaming towards the heavens like a screaming firework exploding at its peak.

Everything about this opus is a sonic outpouring of molten metal that has no hesitancy in steering towards thrashy outbursts. ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Slave’ begins with such a grandiose crescendo of heavy sticks and bass, the guitars smouldering within the fiery rhythms as the listener is swept up in electric exuberance. Striding like a glistening warhorse unphased by enemy fire, StarForce continues to nod towards otherworldly forces as ‘Space Warrior’ gallops to the loping glory of Angel Pineda’s bass. The axe duo of Kevin Valencia and Yeux Garcia propell this adventure into further metallic stratospheres, shredding and riffing with effortless fluidity.

Songs like ‘Prophecy’ smoulder and simmer before launching into a blistering attack steered by the speed metal riffs and hammering drums of Rockdrigo Rodriguez. ‘Sign Of An Angel’ bristles with a thrash energy as again the bass provides a steely foundation, but if you think this track is fast and furious then dive in to the blistering ‘R.T.K. (Sadistic Impulses)’, a speed metal frenzy where Mely sounds her most aggressive, spitting and snarling over the axe blitzkrieg. “Leather and chains, tonight we’re gonna hit the stage,” sneers Mely on ‘Stay Heavy!’. “Dressed to kill, speed is all we need. Faster than bullet and heavier than metal, we’re gonna lose control,” the singer snaps as if she’s barking orders from 1985.

Beyond The Eternal Night may be a record tinged with nostalgic magic, but first and foremost it’s an absolute monster of a heavy metal outing whereby all instruments fire on all cylinders. All hail to these Mexican metal maestro’s for their maelstrom of malice.

Neil Arnold

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