The hardest times for fans are these days between two releases. How to shorten time of wait? Right: publish a compilation. At last Deathstars joined this trend. Releasing a “Greatest Hits”-CD after only three previous studio albums might seem a little megalomaniac, but the Swedish band couldn’t have a better timing. With a Rammstein-support tour ahead it’s the perfect way to introduce their work to a bigger audience and feed their fans with a small appetizer. Deathstars stands for a unique mixture of dirty rock’n’roll mashed with metal elements and lots of synthesizers. The result is a new kind of genre - “Death Glam” as they like to label it theirselves. “Greastest Hits on Earth” covers their previously creative period with a good selection of all former CDs. This compact editing provides newbies a close impression of the musical range of the band from the past to present. For all the others two new songs were added.

Starting with new material the time travel beginns in 2011. The opener “Metal” is a perfect introduction of their typical music style. Heavy, pure guitar riffs set pushing forward rhythms, while the deep, guttural vocals creates a dark, spookylicious atmosphere. Catchy hooklines add the Glam to it and complement the song. Compared to the rough start “Death is wasted on the dead” calms down a bit and presents how a ballade sounds in Death-Glam. Even more electronic, nearly popish parts are adopting goth-rock elements and remind you slightly of early pieces from the 69 Eyes. The other 14 tracks are joining in perfect harmony. At first a decline from their latest CD to the debut, then a wild ride through all years. The arrangement is carefully picked and forms a complete overview of Deathstars’ most famous tracks. Fluent change overs make it hard to spot the different time levels. The alternation is nearly imperceptible, proving at the same time the constant, uncompromised conversion of their music style.

Nevertheless an extensive use of sythesizer effects and vocorder is remarkable for the early years. Later on guitars come to the fore, while the keyboard parts are refined more often with an additional female-like voice to amplify the melodic structures, i.e. on “Blood Stains Blood”, “Death dies hard” [taken from Night Electric Night] and “Tongues” [taken from Termination Bliss]. In generall the plain contrast between harsh, up-tempo beats and catchy, electronic tunes is settling perfection. The fusion is thrilling. And no matter how you listen through the CD, the songs keep simply sticking in your mind. Last but not least, the tracklist is obviously inspired by countless concert gigs. Arranged like an usual full-time setlist, “Greatest hits on Earth” catches a climpse of the spirit at a live show. Instead of shabby live recordings, you get pure studio quality, even though the live performance is mostly half of the fun. Anyhow, all-time classics like “Syndrome” and “Cyanide” are listed next to album and concert favourites, including all Single releases. They couldn’t have made a better choice. It is matchting and diversified at the same time.