The Starbreakers

Live at The Viper Room

West Hollywood, CA

June 27th, 2017

Review and photos by Travis Baumann

Starbreakers is a Los Angeles based heavy metal cover band featuring five amazingly talented ladies of rock. Featuring a personal favorite of mine, Jill Janus of Huntress fame on lead vocals, there was no way I was going to miss their hometown show at the intimate Viper Room.

Joining Jill on stage were a quartet of bad ass babes blasting out killer metal anthems from throughout the ages. "Hurricane" Nita Strauss is on guitar, known for her blazing axe work with Alice Cooper.

Courtney Cox takes up the guitar as well with uncanny skill, nailing some of the most challenging solos and riffs with perfection. Emily Ruvidich lays down some big bass despite her petite frame, and Lindsay Martin backs the group up with relentless percussion.

They chose an epic set list of headbanging favorites that had the entire crowd singing along the entire night. Opening the performance with a classic Ozzy track, they kicked it off with "Bark at the Moon" and followed that up with a killer rendition of Megadeth's "Hanger 18".

I am a huge Dio fan and loved their version of "Holy Diver" which remains one of my favorites from Ronnie. Jill nailed the theatrical delivery for King Diamond's "Welcome Home" which was an unexpected treat. I have never seen a cover of the King's songs, his falsetto is so high, it must be really hard to even get close.

Judas Priest got paid their due with an amazing send up of "Painkiller" that had the audience really going. Easily one of my favorites of the night was Danzig's "Mother". I always loved that song and they really did it justice.

Everyone in the crowd shouted out "Master!" "Master!" along with the band when they played Metallica's "Master of Puppets". Did I mention how freaking amazing Courtney Cox is? At points I was literally spellbound watching her fingers at work. Super talented. All of them are but Courtney was a dynamo.

The opening riffs of "Walk" by Pantera got a mosh pit circling in the intimate venue which was pretty crazy. They did a couple of more that I can't even remember now but every song was great.

It was an amazing night, reveling in gorgeous women playing amazing music with a really positive crowd of fans up on the Sunset Strip, you really could not ask for more.

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