STARKILL released their flawless debut album ''Fires Of Life'' last year and this year they have released their follow up ''Virus Of The Mind'' which has been highly anticipated by their forever growing fan base. From the previews already shown to the world you can tell it's going to be a different album than the last but in no way does it mean it won't live up to it, Parker Jameson premiers his clean vocals on the album and Shaun Andruchuk is even faster on the drums than ever. Get ready to be absolutely amazed by this album due to it's sheer heaviness, it's hard to think that STARKILL can get any better than this.

Fast paced violins open up the first track but it does not prepare you for the oncoming ferocity of STARKILL in ''Be Dead Or Die''. As soon as the metal kicks in at 1.12 the group fully combine all their talents into creating a flawless opening track of the album with inventive keyboard sounds, fast paced drumming and guitars which are the heaviest to be heard this year. Lyrically you can already tell that ''Virus Of The Mind'' is a much darker album than ''Fires Of Life'' as the previous focused on triumph and victory where as this latest release focuses on anything remotely dark which fans of the band are bound to love. It is extremely hard to hate ''Be Dead Or Die'' as it is perfect melo death from start to finish and every member of this group is at their full potential.

Next up is ''Winter Desolation'' which isn't as heavy as ''Be Dead Or Die'' but it certainly has it's fair share of super heavy riffs with a few solo's being inserted throughout making it easy to bang your head to. Parker Jameson finally premiers his clean vocals nearing the chorus's but still keeps his low growls in the verses, guitarist and bassists Tony Keathley and Shaun Andruchuk are both pulling out music which gets stuck in your head for days. The first half of the song is weak and can make you doubt the rest of it but by half way you're wondering if it can get even better than it is at that point, this album could easily be the pin point of STARKILL's musical career.

Blast beats and riffs is all that ''Breaking The Madness'' needs and as soon as the song begins you will be headbanging through every minute of the track. Whilst Parker's vocals may not be as good as the previous songs his guitar work along with Spencer Weidner on the drums is phenomenal which has a heavy Death Metal influence but with a little Folk Metal inserted which gives it a unique twist. ''Breaking The Madness'' is for fans of bands such as CHILDREN OF BODOM, ARCH ENEMY and WINTERSUN with the vocal styles and catchy riffs to get you starting mosh pits no matter where you are.

Title track ''Virus Of The Mind'' starts off slowly but gradually breaks into greatness with slow but catchy riffs with solo's and keyboards inserted in various places throughout the song. Sadly after how the album started out you're disappointed, it's always good to have a slower track but ''Virus Of The Mind'' is let down by it's over use of triggers on the blast beats which overpowers half the song. A heavy CHILDREN OF BODOM/WINTERSUN element can be heard in the track especially within the vocals used.

Thankfully the band get back to basics with ''Skyward'' which is a huge improvement on the title track and you can feel every members contribution to the song, though the album may have some weaker tracks this song proves that there is hope for what could be the best album of their career. Parker features his clean vocals again in ''Skyward'' which are highly surprising yet epicly haunting and really make the song into a flawless piece which is made even better by his solo at 2.22 which makes the song a hit for ''Virus Of The Mind''.

At half way point of the album STARKILL have reverted back to the style of ''Be Dead Or Die'' with ''Before Hope Fades'' with less triggers and more symphonic elements. More clean vocals are featured along with the growls which fit perfectly with the bands sound but the highlight of this track is the keyboard usage which is simple yet enchanting to hear when paired up with the drum fills. ''Before Hope Fades'' is what ''Virus Of The Mind'' needed after the weaker songs of the album, the sound you here is classic STARKILL but with a darker tone and heavier than ever but made simple and never to complex for fans to handle.

The next song is a symphony of excellence with it's keyboards which build the song up slowly to each peak the track hits. ''Into Destiny'' takes you back into STARKILL's roots as a death metal band with power/folk metal roots with it's super fast solo's and blast beats but with keyboard to give it the unique edge. Everyone's input musically is at it's most important in ''Into Destiny'' as each member has their time to shine within each verse, it's easily one of the best tracks from the album. Despite it being one of the shortest songs, it doesn't cut back on anything and when you hear this it will hit you with sheer brutality.

But STARKILL go back to their new sound in ''God Of This World'' with their super fast blast beats, low growls and creative bass techniques. This song is for anyone who loves bands such as FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE and HOUR OF PENANCE due to it's mind blowing solo's which work together with the drums and bass but it all adds up to a truly dramatic break halfway through the song where from then onwards it turns into a pure death metal hit. Drummer Spencer Weidner is the master instrumentalist of this song with his dramatic drumming leading the rest of the band through the 5.40 song with ease, one of the best songs on the album by far. If you're looking for something new to listen to and want to bang your head super fast then ''God Of This World'' is exactly the track you've been listening too.

Penultimate track ''My Catharsis'' is a step back into STARKILL's old sound with its melodic death metal guitars and drums but with harsh growls to accompany the more than impressive solo's. It seems as if though the band are trying to move away from their folk and power metal inspired music from the last album but can't seem to shake it off no matter how heavy they manage to make it but this is in no way a bad thing. Overall it is probably one of the best songs on the album as it remains stuck in your head for days after hearing it only once and you will be automatically wanting to bang your head to it. Parker Jameson hits his peak performance on ''My Catharsis'' with his mind blowing solo's guiding the rest of the band through 3.55 minute melo death super hit.

Last song of the album is ''Convergence'' which is a lot slower than the previous track but it's a lot heavier yet it's a perfect way to end a flawless album. A mix of growls and cleans with the drum fills and bass only complimenting them more, the guitar work cannot be faulted in any way as it's simple yet highly effective to the song to give it a unique edge. Parker, Shaun, Tony and Spencer have all teamed up together in the studio and produced something so flawless that once you hear it, it will be one of your all time favourite songs instantly, ''Convergence'' is an extremely hard track to talk about because you just need to hear it.

Overall STARKILL's second album is near flawless but even if it was made to be absolutely perfect it wouldn't have STARKILL's unique edge within the music. Parker, Shaun, Tony and Spencer have made an album which could change the face of modern metal today, these guys deserve huge success due to how talented they all are on their selected instruments. "Virus Of The Mind'' will be in every melodic death metal fans Top 10 albums of the year without a doubt.