Oxygen

  • Released: 2002

Michael Staertow’s 11 track disc is a calculated and precise album that hints at many different styles of rock without getting overly friendly with any of them. With a keen sense of groove, Staertow lays the guitars down thick and rich (“Hydrostatic”), yet he also has a penchant for going the three-part harmony route, too, a la King’s X (“River Of Sin”). Hitting up the progressive rock and 80’s metal genres for seasoning, Staertow’s flawless guitar work and stellar production help his songs to sound symphonic, but the rock swagger still shines through (“Honestly”). A solid piece of rock that has a little bit of everything for everyone. “The Music Korner”