Rise Of The Northstar follows its own path.
After their explosion in popularity, the Parisian band decided to continue their adventure alone, with the support of their own label, Kuromaku Corp, Vitia (vocals), Eva-B (guitar), Air One (guitar), Yoru (bass), and Phantom (drums) unveiled their new album, Chapter 04: Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!!, in 2025.
It kicks off with the aptly named Turbo-Intro, a fairly calm sample that leaves Payback to take the lead with modern, groovy riffs and vocal assaults rooted in Vitia‘s rap style, who doesn’t hesitate to surround himself with screaming choruses to assert his presence and encourage us to mosh. The track is unsurprisingly very catchy and will surely wreak havoc live, especially on its simple mosh part, but also on Neo Paris, the following track, which mixes even more of the five musicians’ influences and offers us slightly more airy but accessible choruses. The rest of the track is pure rage and efficiency, but it’s quite short and quickly joins Falcon, which returns to the lively and catchy Crossover/Thrash roots that the band has cultivated since its inception, adding vengeance and even treating us to vocal bursts and a music video rooted in their Japanese-inspired visual style. The break is particularly dirty, but it is quickly contrasted by the solo before a final assault that joins Back 2 Basics and takes the band to Marseille, where they meet up with Florent Salfati from Landmvrks, who lends them a hand for a particularly furious collaboration that promises an incredible live adaptation if the musicians manage to pull it off. The sound calms down for a moment on Under, a rather personal Rap interlude that leads into Pressure, a track that was announced but comes at just the right moment to reconnect with saturation and break our necks with its jerky riffing. Then, with the help of Aaron Matts (ten56., ex-Betraying the Martyrs), the musicians move on to Nemesis, which is openly one of the most violent tracks in their entire discography, borrowing dissonant and overpowering deathcore passages. A.I.R. Max takes over and imposes its extremely catchy staccato pace, then we’re off again on fairly trippy tones for Solitary Homeboy, a track where vocal experimentation returns, as do the bright keyboards that contrast with the aggressive groove. The wild riffs return on No Turning Back, which reverts to the hostile combo and incandescent verve of hardcore, then the samples offer us a Trap-infused respite on Desolation Hawk, which also features the usual bellicose rhythm, 75 Outro unfortunately heralds the end of the album in hip-hop style, with Vitia rapping in English, French, and even Japanese over a sampled instrumental, recounting part of the band’s history and thanking their community.
Rise Of The Northstar breaks free with this new album, making Chapter 04: Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! a way for them to embrace their status as a free agent between Hardcore, Rap, and Groove Metal, but also a true testament to their creative and violent fury.
85/100
