Stone Fury: Burns Like a Star (Rock Candy)

Originally released in 1984, Burns Like a Star was the debut album from (mostly) American melodic hard rock/heavy metal band Stone Fury, which featured future Kingdom Come mainman Lenny Wolf and guitarist Bruce Gowdy (later of Unruly Child and World Trade).

Burns Like a Star is a fantastic example of what happens when the melodic rock and heavy metal styles met in the mid-80s. It has these great melodies and great hard rock rhythms, but there’s enough crunch in the guitar work and power in Wolf’s vocals (which even then practically channeled Robert Plant) that it could qualify as a metal album. It’s almost like a mashup of the Dio and Turner eras of Rainbow, if that makes any sense at all. “Break Down the Walls” and the title track are fantastic songs, but the whole album is really strong. It’s amazing that this band never broke big at the time.

Stone Fury would go on to release one more album (1986’s Let Them Talk), before disbanding. Burns Like a Star is an album that’s sure to satisfy fans of the mid `80s heavy metal sound, especially fans of bands like Kick Axe, Pretty Maids and of course Kingdom Come.

Reissue Notes: At long last, we finally got a proper CD reissue of Burns Like a Star this year thanks to the Rock Candy label. Their version features digitally remastered audio and a thick booklet with a band history/interview and some vintage photos and press clippings. No bonus tracks, but just having this on CD is reason to celebrate.