Album Review: STARRATS - 'Chaos Calls'

You know, there’s a good reason why we sent almost 40 chimps into space in the 20th century, and not rats. Maybe it was because it would all end up like that Simpsons episode when Homer goes into space, and breaks the glass barrier housing the ant colony. In that case, our rat overlords would probably subdue the astronauts, hold them prisoner, take over the ship, and when peace negotiations fail, and they will, the rats will return to conquer the Earth, only to be stopped by a – okay, stop, stop, get the fuck back on track, for the love of all merciful God.

Okay, so STARRATS (not to be confused with the far less extreme band, Starrats) are a relatively new band from Canberra, the sheer singularity of pure evil and douchebaggery of our own country. Now, a name like STARRATS, all in capitals, is a rather attention grabbing name, and an odd one at that. Funnily enough, the very same can be said about the music that they play. Which is just fucking wicked.

Their music is as tight and abrasive as Statues, as chaotic as Norma Jean’s, as nuanced as The Dillinger Escape Plan, as groovy as Every Time I Die, and as passionate as She Cries Wolf latest album, ‘Divorce’ (which is fucking amazing, go pick that up now). Those bands are the most obvious influences and comparisons for STARRATS, but those bands all kick ass and write some of the sickest and best hardcore music around, and these Canberra boys have imitated the best parts of each act. As a result, this EP rocks the socks off like few can.

With these six banging tracks, of which there is no filler or bullshit to wade through, this EP comes in at around 12 minutes long. And you know what? It’s some of the best 12 minutes you’ll experience in 2015, save for that awesomely gritty Power Rangers short film. Everything is raw and rambunctious, yet it has a surprisingly level of polish to the mix. The instrumentation is solid all round, and the style is a blend of old school metalcore and contemporary bat-shit craziness in the form of the bands mentioned one paragraph up. At times, the vocals reach such a heightened frenzy that it’s hard to decipher what is actually being said, but this only adds to the impact of the songs, much like how Converge and letlive. sometimes do in their songs.

After the chaotic opener 'Dead End' goes off it's tits, standout'Quintessentially Correct' transitions into ‘Pushing Up Daisies’, which features Bare Bones vocalist Tom Kennedy offering up some guesties, and the guttural and heavy ‘Guilt’ hits has Life Pilot’s residential beard enthusiast, Angus long, lending his screams to a banging track. ‘Randy Marsh’ (yes, THAT Randy Marsh) is about a minute long and is the jabbing, rhythmic metalcore of old that is so rarely focused on today, which is a damn shame in itself. But bands like this lead the charge. ‘Gods Regret’ has a great conclusion, one that’s nuanced and melodic, yet in a very off-putting way. And that seems to be STARRATS in a nut-shell – off-putting, raw, and dissonant and utterly necessary listening.

‘Chaos Calls’ is the wrong title for this EP. ‘Chaos Is Here’, or ‘This Is Chaos’ would have been far more appropriate as this shit truly is as wondrously chaotic as hardcore music can get nowadays. STARRATS may have an odd name and they may be a bit of an acquired taste, but we can’t stress enough that you should really try to get acquainted with their music. Come on, you owe it to yourself.

1. Dead End

2. Quintessentially Correct

3. Pushing Up Daisies (Feat. Tom Kennedy Of Bare Bones)

4. Randy Marsh

5. Guilt (Feat. Angus Long Of Life Pilot)

6. Gods Regret