A neon blast from the past.

Formed in 2018, Sweden’s Starmen arrive as if through a time machine, complete with their signature star-shaped makeup and retro-futurist stride. In just a few years, they’ve carved out a distinct orbit in the hard-rock universe, releasing four albums — Kiss the Sky, Welcome to My World, By the Grace of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Starmenized — through Melodic Passion Records. After cementing their presence with The Best of Starmen, Vol. 1 in November 2024, the band now returns with their fifth studio album, Starmenized II, released on November 28, 2025.

The album opens with “Trouble,” kicked off by the lyric “she’s trouble, nothing but trouble,” a tagline that sets the tone instantly. The track unfolds like stepping into a chrome-plated spaceship — thick ‘80s reverb and a riff that announces the band’s theatrical lean before the vocals can even enter. “Born to Rock” keeps the momentum running, driving everything into nostalgia. The approach is formulaic in an entirely intentional way.

“15 Minutes of Pain” becomes the record’s most playful cut, built on a slightly darker melodic line. Its lyrics twist the familiar promise of fifteen minutes of fame — “say you wanna be a star…”— into something more cynical. Burnout, ego and the fleeting nature of attention thread through the verses, even as the chorus stays firmly in sing-along territory.

“The One” serves as the album’s melodic centerpiece, with cleaner guitars and a more sentimental attitude. It breaks up all the adrenaline with a soft shimmer, giving the record breathing room without slipping fully into power-ballad mode. There’s a slight indie edge in the verses, but the ’70s/’80s ballad gloss is unmistakably the main character. On the opposite side of the spectrum, “Shark in the Dark” is the album’s standout moment. It stays consistent in sleaze riffs, thick grit and a bite that lands squarely at the midpoint.

“Fire” follows with call-and-response hooks built for live shows. The vocals sit isolated and clean at the front of the mix while the instruments briefly mute around them. “One World” drops into glam-rock optimism with bright, ascending chord progressions and stacked harmonies. It channels that classic unity-anthem tradition: earnest, immediate and ready for wide-open stages.

 “Shame on You” shifts into a poppier silhouette. There’s Bowie in its bones — groove forward, sharp-edged and delivered with a vocal sass that cuts through the mix. “Not Your Enemy” then leans into commercial accessibility with a hook that recalls ’90s pop-rock playfulness. The chorus nudges toward an Olivia Newton-John wink, “let’s get physical” energy filtered through a glam-rock lens.

The closer, “Waiting on Your Heartbreak,” commits fully to the power-ballad blueprint. It makes the earlier sentimental tracks feel like preludes. Clean arpeggios open the track, which then swells into a soaring, cinematic final chorus. It’s a hero-style sendoff — big, confident and swift in its landing.

The album is consistent, cohesive and committed to the lane Starmen have carved out for themselves. Longtime fans will appreciate its fidelity to their sound, while new listeners will find a tight, high-energy record that captures the fun, larger-than-life spirit of classic glam metal.