First of all, Starz should have been bigger than KISS.
They were better than KISS.
Violation is probably their best album, and I have always loved its title track. It begins with Joe X. Dube’s deliberate, almost military drum pattern and builds into a dark piece of hard rock about organizations controlling individuals. The faceless “committee” watches, judges and demands obedience while the band answers ominously, “We are with you everywhere.”
Dube’s drumming is outstanding throughout the track. Richie Ranno and Brendan Harkin supply the heavy twin-guitar attack, while Michael Lee Smith delivers the lyrics with exactly the right combination of defiance and paranoia. Producer Jack Douglas gives it plenty of weight without burying the instruments.
Starz occupied the territory between 1970s hard rock and the glam metal that would dominate the following decade. Fans of that music know the band, but Starz deserved a much wider audience. Their biggest single, “Cherry Baby,” reached only No. 33, and the band never achieved the success its records suggested was possible.
“Violation” demonstrates why people still insist Starz should have been huge. Start with the drums—and play it loud.