Review by Michael on October 1, 2026.

"When Stars Collide" is the successor to "Between Shadows And Gods" by Swedish melo-thrashers Xion, out now via Fireflash Records. Whereas the first album was described on MetalBite as a modern mixture for fans of Warbringer and Havok, as well as old-school thrash lovers of Megadeth and Kreator, I would tend to say that the guys have evolved a little further into more melodic spheres this time around.

The songs are kept very catchy and harmonic, and in some ways, the arrangements remind me of newer Metallica stuff. Be it the instrumental skills, where especially the guitars and drums sound that way, or the vocal lines, which sometimes remind me of James Hetfield (in a higher-pitched version). The bass, well, Metallica didn't have a bass on …And Justice for All, did they? But this is another story, as I said, modern Metallica, and by this I mean the last two albums. Check out "Total Euphoria" with that doomy, bluesy part, and you will know what I mean.

But I would be unfair to say that the Americans are the main influence because you can hear some other influences as well. "Burned Onto You" has some cool melodic guitar solos that sound a little bit like Heathen on their first two albums.

Nevertheless, Vladimir, who reviewed the debut album, was right when he stated that the band combines this modern thrash metal approach with some more traditional thrash metal elements. "Mirror Shield" is a very good example to prove that. Find late-'80s and early-'90s thrash tunes beneath modern sounds. This works well here and on most of the other seven tracks.

The only track that the Swedes might have spared is the ballad "Granted Wings (Let Me Fly)". First, it sounds a little bit like Nickelback on dope, and second, the song is far too kitschy. Okay, after three minutes, the track gains some heaviness and speed, but the overall result (at least for me) is that I need a tank truck full of coffee. The Running Wild riffing cannot save me from that either. Sorry, but this one isn't the most defining moment created by Xion.

But as I said, the rest is some solid melodic thrash metal. The final song, "Zero Light," starts with the same muffled intro they used for the opener, "Hands Will Be Cut," and is, like the opener, a quite fast thrash attack with some staccato-like riffing and aggressive vocals. Maybe they could have had a wider range on the album because, for the most part, the vocals are on a very high-pitched level. Some deeper growls could have given the songs a gloomier atmosphere and more fierceness.

But for a relatively young band, this performance is entertaining, and the album is, apart from that ballad, quite enjoyable. The Swedish metal scene seems to share my opinion; otherwise, the guys wouldn't have entered the Swedish album charts at #5. Congratulations on that!

Rating: 8 out of 10