Sometimes you run into a band that you would never have listened to on your own accord, but you do now as your editor has asked you to review it. STUD hail from Helsinki in Finland and is a good example of such a band. Originally formed in 1986, but disbanded in 1989 with only a single to show for that time. I have to admit that I haven’t heard “Mä Haluun Elää” (“I Want To Live”). In 2013 the band was reformed, and since then they have been quite productive, as the album I am listening to currently (“Under Silver Sky”) is the fifth full length studio album in 12 years. Not bad going, although it has been some 5 years since their last release “War Of Power”.

What can I say about STUD and “Under Silver Sky”. Well, first off, that you can hear that their brand of Heavy Metal has a lot of connotations with many of the decades that have flown by since the eighties. It has a lot of old-fashioned influences and atmosphere, but also houses a very contemporary sound without losing sight of their heritage and peerage. Are there certain bands that stand out as their prime examples for following? No, there aren’t as far as I’m concerned. STUD have that kind of sound that will remind you of a lot of others whilst maintaining the effect of it being purely their own. Just like BAD COMPANY or FREE, I have no pure comparison for the music of STUD.

Even when the band decide to slow down, they will be able to have you put your finger up, as to remark on a similarity with another band, until they change their rhythm or intensity, and then they just sound like STUD again. That is quite rare in current times, and maybe I just don’t know who they sound like, but to me they have a pure original sound that fits STUD. The music itself is of quite a decent standard. Good and solid Hard Rocking Heavy Metal songs with a lot of Melodic and sometimes even AOR vibes mixed in. It makes “Under Silver Sky” into a very nice record that will not break any records, or even give STUD major player status, but it will provide the listeners with a pleasant amount of entertainment. And let’s be frank, that is exactly what music is supposed to be all about.