The Swedish Superheroes Return to the Attack | Starmen Is Back
Swedish melodic hard rock band Starmen returns with their fifth studio album, Starmenized II, scheduled for release in late 2025.
Following the success of Starmenized (2023) and the career-spanning compilation The Best of Starmen – Volume 1 (2024), the band now delves into its archives: “We had so many great songs left from the last album that it would have been a waste not to release them“, says bassist Jonatan Samuelsson (Gold Starman).
In addition to these unreleased gems, the album includes a brand new song, “Born to Rock,” written and sung by Samuelsson. The rest of the songs on the album were mainly composed and sung by Kristian Hermanson (Red Starman), the band’s leader, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter.
“Starmenized II” continues the band’s tradition of elaborate arrangements and explosive energy, mixing melodic hooks, powerful riffs, and a timeless retro vibe.
For those unfamiliar with this band, Starmen was founded in 2018 as a tribute to the rock heroes of the ’70s and ’80s with attractive and colorful stage characters, featuring their signature star-shaped makeup. Starmen consists of Kristian Hermanson (Red Starman), lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for the band. Also joining the combo are the well-known Jonatan Samuelsson (Gold Starman) on bass and vocals, Andreas Lindgren (Purple Starman) on lead guitar, and John Hector (Silver Starman) on drums and vocals.
Starmen is committed to grandeur in their stage performances, energy in each of their songs, and that wildness forgotten in rock. In that sense, their latest album, “Starmenized II,” which will be available on November 28, 2025, follows the same line and philosophy, based on the hard rock of the ’70s and ’80s, in a clear nostalgia and tribute to the greats of rock.
Courtesy of “Gold Starman” (Jonatan Samuelsson), we were able to hear a preview of what “Starmenized II” is all about. The album will feature ten tracks full of energy and all the power of old melodic hard rock. Lots of riffs, melody, and excellent production by Kristian Hermanson himself, with mixing by someone who knows (a lot) about sound engineering, C.J. Grimmark (Narnia), so I can assure you that “Starmenized II” really does have a superlative sound. What can we expect? “Trouble” is the opening track, a powerful song that plunges us into the world of these superheroes, and for which a video clip has just been released, anticipating the release of this new album by the so-called “Swedish Kiss.” There is a track sung entirely by Samuelsson (“Born To Rock”) in a clear reminiscence of the basics of rock and its forgotten power, with a lot of NWOBHM, which will be the lead single from this album. We also find reminiscences of the Kiss style in “15 Minutes Of Pain” or even the AC/DC sound in “Shark In The Dark.” There are also clear influences from bands such as Deep Purple, Rainbow, Aerosmith, and everything that sounds loud and hard from the mid-70s and 80s. We don’t want to forget to mention “The One” and “One World,” two high-caliber rock ballads that give the album another twist.
Starmen opts for the classic sound of old and beloved hard rock, betting on a classic lineup and a sound rooted in the best eras of rock. These heroes propose to save what remains and come to the rescue of classic rock, rocking hard at the close of 2025.
The cover art and design are entirely produced by Jonatan Samuelsson himself. “Starmenized II” will be officially released on November 28, 2025, through Melodic Passion Records and Sound Pollution Distribution. Of course, as usual, we leave you with the official video clip for “Trouble,” the official preview of “Starmenized II,” and the coordinates to find these superheroes on social media and find out all their latest news!
https://www.facebook.com/starmen.se
https://www.instagram.com/starmen.rock
https://jonomusic.com/artists/starmen
