Top 10 Starset Songs

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In 2013, Dustin Bates founded the American rock group, Starset, from Columbus, Ohio. Ron DeChant, Adam Gilbert, and Brock Richards have been part of the band’s roster since the beginning. Before the formation of this band, Bates earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering while attending Ohio University. He also did some research for the US Air Force and was a teacher at the International Space University. His fascination with astronomy is what led him to become the singer, songwriter, and keyboardist of Starset. It was Bates who came up with The Starset Society and its fictional backstory as a group that aimed to make the public aware of the mysteries of outer space. When doing interviews, as well as performing in concert, Starset has mostly stuck to character for theatrical purposes. There was also a fictional novel, The Prox Transmissions, that goes into further detail about The Starset Society. It was released not long after the band earned a loyal fan following after they began to make their mark on mainstream radio stations and social media sites.

Destination: Stardom

Since the band’s debut album, Transmissions, which debuted in 2014, they have found a tremendous fan following through social media sites like YouTube. It became one of the highest debut albums for a rock band for the year and had three hit singles that performed well on the US Billboard music charts. “My Demons,” “Carnivore,” and “Halo” each became major fan favorites. Before 2016 was over, Starset earned over $230,000 USD in revenue. This paved the way for the group to record and release another concept album, Vessels. Before it was released in early 2017, “Monster” was already a hit single as of late 2016. Throughout 2017, Starset embarked on a busy concert tour. In the meantime, the second single from Vessels, “Satellite,” was released and became another big hit for the group. In addition to this recording, there was a deluxe edition album, Vessels 2.0, that featured nine new tracks on it. It also had altered versions of previously recorded material. That special album was released on September 28, 2018.

MNQN Project

The first half of 2018 saw Starset continue to tour. At one point, Bates commented he wanted to take a break before working on the band’s third studio album. However, the electronic-fused MNQN was a project that was worked on during that year that would be released as MNQN on April 4, 2019. Just like The Starset Society, MNQN had its own backstory that was completely fictional, catering to the science fiction genre as an artificial intelligence entity created by the Sentience Corp.

Destination: Divisions and Horizons

On September 13, 2019, the group released their third studio album, Divisions. The popularity of this album reached over two billion streams worldwide by 2020. With Starset’s popularity still spiking, the band once again had a busy tour schedule. In 2019, it started in the United States. There were also scheduled tours destined for Europe and the UK but those were canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. While the world was coping with the pandemic, Starset released a remixed version of the singles, “Trials” and “Waking Up.” In the meantime, Starset covered Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” as an Amazon Music exclusive release before releasing their studio album, Horizons, on October 22, 2021. The musical style of Starset as a rock band is vast, ranging between alternative, electronic, and progressive. According to Bates, the band’s music is cinematic. This is evident in the concert performances and music videos credited to Starset and its side project, MNQN.

Top 10 Starset Songs

# 10 – Antigravity

While “Antigravity” was not released as an official single, the impact of this heavy hitter on many Starset fans is too awesome to ignore. From the debut album, Transmissions, “Antigravity” was the song that played immediately after “My Demons.” If one expected the adrenaline of Starset’s hit single was about to die down via “Antigravity,” reality sunk in that this was not about to happen.

Song for song, and album for album, Starset has consistently performed as brilliant storytellers, using the power of music to add to the drama. It’s even better when you go to a live concert, watching these four brilliant men wow the crowd as no other rock band can. The moment “Antigravity” begins, whether it be as a song from the album or in concert, one can’t help but get caught up in the metal-like performance. As a musical source of inspiration, “Antigravity” served as the need to fight against oppression known as carnivores.

# 9 – Manifest

“Manifest” became a number sixteen hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart after it was released in 2019. It came from Starset’s third studio album, Divisions, as its first single release. As a song exposing the misuse of technology, “Manifest” served as the direct result of what happens as an unfortunate consequence. This song came out just before the COVID-19 pandemic became headline news worldwide. In what felt like interesting timing among the fans of Starset who also pay attention to various news sources, “Manifest” became a cult favorite. The melodic vocals performed by Bates illustrated his phenomenal talent as a lyricist. When the instrumentals burst into a metal-like hitter, it makes this song even more dramatic than the story it’s telling.

#8 – Infected

In 2021, Starset recorded and released the single, “Infected,” as a tribute song to the 2019 video game, Arknights. On the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, it peaked as high as number sixteen. As a song, “Infected” lyrically revealed the vulnerability of mankind as the world continues to hurl one dramatic event after another. Over time, this toxic environment threatens humanity to its very core. Dustin Bates, along with the rest of Starset, beautifully recorded this song, along with the album, Horizons, as yet another dystopian reality playout that is thought-provoking. The beauty behind “Infected” witnesses Starset evolving as a group who has already mastered the art of musical storytelling that has turned them into cult favorites among the fans who can’t seem to get enough.

#7 – Kashmir

Fans of Led Zeppelin will instantly recognize “Kashmir” as this group’s 1975 release form Physical Graffiti. hit single. As fans of Led Zeppelin, Starset’s coverage of this song in 2021 earned critical acclaim after it was released exclusively on Amazon Music. At first, Bates was hesitant to release his group’s version of “Kashmir” as a single due to the level of respect he had for them. While working with producer Rob Graves, the conversation of Led Zeppelin classic track came up and it sparked enough inspiration to have it played and recorded. For Bates, “Kashmir” was his favorite song as a Led Zeppelin fan. On Amazon Music’s playlist, Rock Scene, “Kashmir” was one of the standout songs featured on it. What’s cool about Starset’s version of “Kashmir” is the futuristic twist to a classic rock favorite. The lyrical talent of Bates is nothing short of amazing and he does Led Zeppelin’s legendary song justice as an alternative song worth listening to.

# 6 – Trials

According to the lyrics in “Trials,” they sum up who we each are as a person. Released as a single in 2020 from the album, Divisions, it became a number eight hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The album came out before COVID-19’s pandemic put the world on lockdown. The single was released shortly after some world leaders placed the people of their respective nations into home quarantine. This includes America and Canada. Among some of Starset’s most dedicated fans, the timing of this song was uncanny. During a time of such extreme social confinement, “Trials” served as a song of inspiration among hopefuls. At the same time, it also served as a reality check on how fast the entire world can turn upside down at just a moment’s notice.

#5 – Carnivore

“Carnivore” was a number sixteen hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart after it was released as a single in 2014. According to Bates, this was a protagonist going up against the vulture-like opposition that threatened humanity’s existence. Heavy-hitting and lyrically genius, it served as the perfect follow-up song behind “My Demons.” On the album, Transmissions, “Carnivore” comes before “My Demons.” When these songs are listened to in order, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the drama. Starset describes itself as a cinematic rock band that focuses heavily on the parallels between science fiction culture and current world events. When the carnivorous nature of man remains unchecked, the demons that lie in wait within them will manifest into a devouring monster.

#4 – Halo

The video game, Halo, became a huge hit after it was first released in 2001 by Microsoft for its Xbox gaming console. Created by Bungee, what started off as a video game quickly became a franchise that’s currently managed by 343 Industries. For Starset’s frontman, Bates, “Halo” was a song that was inspired by a fictional character named Thomas Bell. This is the same character that had the outer space message delivered in the group’s debut album, Transmissions.

Performed as a love song where the hero is very protective of his female counterpart, “Halo” wound up becoming a cult favorite among Starset’s fan base. It became a number sixteen hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart after it was released in 2015. Personally speaking as a fan of Starset, as well as the Halo gaming franchise, the dystopian parallels between these two entities is fascinating. This song, along with the music video, won over much praise for its value as a song of hope in what seems like a doomed world. On the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, “Halo” peaked at number sixteen.

#3 – Satellite

From the album, Vessels, this song lyrically looked to a satellite as a beacon of hope. This song debuted three days before the album did and it was done so through Marvel’s website in January 2017. There was a story shared by the infamous comic book publisher that it was working with Starset to release a graphic novel about the album. As a single, “Satellite” was released during the summer of 2017 and became a number twelve hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. This melodic number was one of the songs featured in the 2018 release of Microsoft’s Xbox video game, Forza Horizon 4. Many Starset fans will argue that “Satellite” is the standout favorite from the band. Unlike the edgier “Monster” and “My Demons” hard rock songs performed by Bates and his bandmates, “Satellite” was considerably more melodramatic. If there was ever a song that best showcased the vocalist’s talent, this is it.

#2 – Monster

“Monster” became Starset’s biggest US Billboard hit after it was released in the fall of 2016. Just in the first week, it was fast approaching the 500,000 view mark on YouTube between the band’s official channel and fan-based streamers. On the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, it peaked as high as number two. From the second studio album, Vessels, “Monster” played into the dystopian storyline that was first laid out by the band’s debut recording, Transmissions.

Described as the acknowledgment of a dark reality that came from the effects of tinkering with society through scientific breakthroughs and technology, “Monster” sinks into the psyche of the listener. As a hard rock song, “Monster” featured the raw talent of Bates as a vocalist that pulled no punches when it came to releasing the beast within, so to speak.

#1 – My Demons

From the album, Transmissions, “My Demons” was Starset’s second single release. On the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart, it became a number five hit in 2014. Fast-paced from start to finish, this heavy-hitting rock song served as a superhero-like approach to overcoming personal demons while in a relationship with a love interest. The instrumental inspiration behind “My Demons” came from the music samples of the hit television series, X-Files. The show’s musical score often served as a source of creative influence for Bates as a songwriter.

“My Demons” spent fourteen weeks on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart, which was longer than any other song that was released since its startup in 1981. On YouTube, the song’s popularity had nearly three hundred million views between September 2014 and November 2016. It also performed well on Spotify, surpassing the thirty million streams mark by the spring of 2017. In sales, “My Demons” achieved platinum certification with the Recording Industry Association of America, as well as gold certification with Music Canada. Although “Monster” performed better on the music charts, “My Demons” put Starset on the map as a mighty force to reckon with, at least as far as the universe of rock music was concerned.