Starset

Biography

Starset is an American rock band from Columbus, Ohio, formed by Dustin Bates in 2013. They released their debut album, Transmissions×Transmissions8 July 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1First Light1:242Down With the Fallen4:183Halo3:464Carnivore4:235Telescope5:316It Has Begun5:177My Demons4:488Antigravity6:099Dark on Me5:3810Let It Die4:3211The Future Is Now4:4612Point of No Return3:4013Rise and Fall5:5414My Demons (acoustic)3:3415Halo (acoustic)3:3616Point of No Return (acoustic)3:5717Let It Die (acoustic)3:1618My Demons (Synchronice remix)3:5319Let It Die (Maniac Agenda remix)7:3220Telescope (EmoTek remix)7:00, in 2014 and their second album, Vessels×Vessels20 January 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Order1:062Satellite3:593Frequency4:414Die for You5:175Ricochet5:106Starlight4:467Into the Unknown4:308Gravity of You4:469Back to the Earth4:1310Last to Fall5:0311Bringing It Down5:4812Unbecoming4:1013Monster4:1614Telepathic4:4215Everglow7:54, on January 20, 2017. The band has found success in expanding the ideas of their concept albums through social media and YouTube, with the band generating over $230,000 in revenue from views from the latter as of November 2016. Their single "My Demons×My Demons9 August 2013 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1My Demons3:58" had accumulated over 280 million YouTube views in the same time period. Their most commercially successful song, "Monster×Monster4 November 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Monster4:16", peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in May 2017. A third studio album, Divisions×DIVISIONS13 September 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks1A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FUTURE1:372MANIFEST4:273ECHO3:364WHERE THE SKIES END6:335PERFECT MACHINE5:236TELEKINETIC5:127STRATOSPHERE4:178FAULTLINE3:369SOLSTICE5:4110TRIALS4:1811WAKING UP3:4912OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE4:1813DIVING BELL5:38, was released on September 13, 2019, with their fourth studio album, Horizons×HORIZONS22 October 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Unveiling the Architecture1:452The Breach4:203Otherworldly5:024Icarus4:495Earthrise4:576Leaving This World Behind4:287Devolution5:108Annihilated Love4:449Alchemy5:2010Disappear5:5311This Endless Endeavour5:0312Symbiotic3:2313Dreamcatcher4:5314Tunnelvision4:0915Infected3:0816Something Wicked4:00, released on October 22, 2021. Their fifth album, Silos×SILOS12 September 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks1praesens2:012DEGENERATE3:373SILOS4:214rise of messenger2:145DARK THINGS4:416SHATTERED DREAMS4:107temple of milton2:088BRAVE NEW WORLD4:249DYSTOPIA4:3710HEAD OVER HEELS4:5811SWAY4:1812the antihero’s journey1:4413TOKSIK3:5114at his altar1:4115AD ASTRA4:3616requiem of the order3:56, was released September 12, 2025.

Formation and Transmissions (2013–2015)

Starset was formed in 2013 by Downplay vocalist Dustin Bates, who is the band's lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist. Bates's interest in astronomy was first fueled when acquiring his master's in electrical engineering as he studied at Ohio University. He completed research for the US Air Force and also taught at the International Space University. Bates created the fictional backstory for the band that forms the thematic basis for their music and multimedia. In the backstory, Starset was formed as part of a public outreach initiative by the Starset Society, whose aims were to alert the public about the contents of "the Message" the society obtained from a mysterious signal from space. Starset treats their backstory and the Starset Society as real in interviews, with few exceptions.
The band released their debut album, Transmissions×Transmissions8 July 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1First Light1:242Down With the Fallen4:183Halo3:464Carnivore4:235Telescope5:316It Has Begun5:177My Demons4:488Antigravity6:099Dark on Me5:3810Let It Die4:3211The Future Is Now4:4612Point of No Return3:4013Rise and Fall5:5414My Demons (acoustic)3:3415Halo (acoustic)3:3616Point of No Return (acoustic)3:5717Let It Die (acoustic)3:1618My Demons (Synchronice remix)3:5319Let It Die (Maniac Agenda remix)7:3220Telescope (EmoTek remix)7:00, on July 8, 2014. The release debuted at number 49 on the US Billboard 200 charts, making it one of the highest debut albums for a rock band in 2014, and as of 2016, had sold over 79,000 copies. Three singles were released in promotion of the album: "My Demons×My Demons9 August 2013 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1My Demons3:58", "Carnivore×Carnivore1 July 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Carnivore3:03", and "Halo". They also performed well in the charts, reaching fifth, sixteenth, and sixteenth, respectively, on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock charts. The band later released an accompanying novel, The Prox Transmissions, further detailing Bates's fictional back-history of the Starset Society story.

Vessels (2016–2018)

Rob Graves, who produced Transmissions, announced on January 26, 2016, that the making of Starset's second record has "officially commenced". Along with the announcement of European tour dates supporting Breaking Benjamin, Starset announced their second album, which Bates said would be more stylistically diverse than the previous, ranging in genre from metal to pop. On October 4, 2016, Starset posted to their social media an image from a graphic novel produced by Marvel Comics as a tie-in to The Prox Transmissions. The 88-page graphic novel was co-written by Dustin Bates and Peter David, illustrated by Mirko Colak, and released in September 2017.
The album's first single, "Monster×Monster4 November 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Monster4:16" was released on October 28, 2016. On November 4, 2016, Starset announced their upcoming album Vessels×Vessels20 January 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Order1:062Satellite3:593Frequency4:414Die for You5:175Ricochet5:106Starlight4:467Into the Unknown4:308Gravity of You4:469Back to the Earth4:1310Last to Fall5:0311Bringing It Down5:4812Unbecoming4:1013Monster4:1614Telepathic4:4215Everglow7:54, which was released on January 20, 2017. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The band spent much of 2017 touring in support of the album. The band toured with Black Satellite in the first half of 2017. In July 2017, the band performed at Seether frontman Shaun Morgan's "Rise Above Fest", alongside Shinedown and Halestorm. A second single from the album, "Satellite", was released in August 2017, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.
The band would continue touring through the first half of 2018, though Bates said he would likely take a break before pursuing a third album with the band. Instead, he was planning on releasing music under a different project name, MNQN, which would be far more electronic-based. Bates stated that he also had been working on some progressive rock–styled music that he intended to release as well, though he did not disclose when, or if, it would be released under the Starset name. In April 2018, the band announced that they had signed to Fearless Records and released a music video for the Vessels track "Ricochet×Ricochet25 April 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Ricochet5:102Ricochet (acoustic version)4:51". An alternate acoustic recording of the song was also released shortly after.
In August 2018, the band released a second version of the Vessels track "Bringing it Down" and announced a deluxe edition of the album, titled Vessels 2.0. Nine new tracks appeared on Vessels 2.0, consisting of "reimagined", acoustic, and remixed versions of songs from the original Vessels along with a cover of "Love You to Death×Love You to Death7 September 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Love You to Death5:33" by Type O Negative. The album was released on September 28, 2018. The press release for Vessels 2.0 also stated that the band had plans to release their third studio album in 2019. MNQN's self-titled debut album released on April 4, 2019, and a live date at the Wonderbus Music and Arts Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on August 18, 2019, was announced. Much like Starset, the MNQN project features a fictional backstory, based on the titular artificial intelligence created by the Sentience Corp.

Divisions (2019–2020)

On May 13, 2019, Starset announced that the third album would be released on September 13, 2019, along with fall tour dates for the United States. Spring 2020 tour dates for Europe and the UK were announced on July 2, 2019. The album's name, Divisions×DIVISIONS13 September 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks1A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FUTURE1:372MANIFEST4:273ECHO3:364WHERE THE SKIES END6:335PERFECT MACHINE5:236TELEKINETIC5:127STRATOSPHERE4:178FAULTLINE3:369SOLSTICE5:4110TRIALS4:1811WAKING UP3:4912OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE4:1813DIVING BELL5:38, was announced in August 2019 alongside the release of its first single, "Manifest×MANIFEST15 August 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1MANIFEST4:27". On September 5, 2019 guitarist Brock Richards and violinist Siobhán Richards (née Cronin) were married. The album was released on September 13, 2019. By 2020, the band had received two billion streams worldwide. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, most of Starset's tours were first postponed and later cancelled. However, Starset released the reimagined version of the single "TRIALS" and the remix version of "WAKING UP" in August 2020 and December 2020

Horizons (2021–2023)

In April 2021, Starset released a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" exclusively for Amazon Music and a new song, "Infected×INFECTED26 April 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1INFECTED3:10", to celebrate the second anniversary of the video game Arknights. In May 2021, the band made their first demonstration announcement since the pandemic, saying that they would give a performance on LouderThanLife (September 2021) and Rockville (November 2021).
In June, Starset announced that they would hold a series of "AE01 Acoustic Event" during the next two months across America, in which the band would give totally acoustic performances and interact intimately with the audience. The upcoming tour of the United States and Europe, which started in November 2021 and February 2022 respectively, were subsequently announced. On September 10, 2021, the band announced that their fourth studio album, Horizons×HORIZONS22 October 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Unveiling the Architecture1:452The Breach4:203Otherworldly5:024Icarus4:495Earthrise4:576Leaving This World Behind4:287Devolution5:108Annihilated Love4:449Alchemy5:2010Disappear5:5311This Endless Endeavour5:0312Symbiotic3:2313Dreamcatcher4:5314Tunnelvision4:0915Infected3:0816Something Wicked4:00, was scheduled for release on October 22, 2021. They also released a music video for a new song from the album, named "The Breach×THE BREACH9 September 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1THE BREACH4:20", and released the track listing for the album, revealing that the previously released song, "Infected", would also be on the album. On September 23, 2021, they released a lyric video for "Leaving This World Behind×LEAVING THIS WORLD BEHIND23 September 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks1LEAVING THIS WORLD BEHIND4:272THE BREACH4:203INFECTED3:08", and on October 7 of the same year, they released a lyric video for "Earthrise×EARTHRISE7 October 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1EARTHRISE4:57". On August 19, 2022, Starset released a collaboration song with Breaking Benjamin, called "Waiting on the Sky to Change", a reworking of a song from Bates's previous band, Downplay.

Silos (2024–present)

On May 3, 2024, Starset released the first single, "Brave New World×Brave New World3 May 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Brave New World4:23", and its accompanying music video.
On July 4, 2024, the second single, "Degenerate×DEGENERATE5 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1DEGENERATE3:36", was released. On August 15, 2024, the third single, "TokSik×TokSik16 August 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Toksik3:51", was released. On November 8, 2024, the fourth single, "Dystopia×Dystopia8 November 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Dystopia4:372TokSik3:513DEGENERATE3:364Brave New World4:23", was released with its accompanying music video. On February 28, 2025, the fifth single, "Dark Things×dark things28 February 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1dark things4:41", was released with its accompanying music video. On May 2, 2025, a cover for "Head Over Heels×Head Over Heels2 May 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Head over Heels4:58" by Tears For Fears, was released with its accompanying music video. On June 27, 2025, the seventh single, "Silos×SILOS12 September 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks1praesens2:012DEGENERATE3:373SILOS4:214rise of messenger2:145DARK THINGS4:416SHATTERED DREAMS4:107temple of milton2:088BRAVE NEW WORLD4:249DYSTOPIA4:3710HEAD OVER HEELS4:5811SWAY4:1812the antihero’s journey1:4413TOKSIK3:5114at his altar1:4115AD ASTRA4:3616requiem of the order3:56" was released. On August 29th, the eighth single, a cover of "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz, was released alongside the official album announcement, titled Silos, scheduled to release on September 12.
On August 21, 2026, Starset released the single "Paradoxic" (stylized as p a r a d 0 x 1 c).
On September 11th, 2026, Starset also released the single "Annihilation" (stylized as a n n 1 h 1 l a t 1 0 n).
On October 2nd, Starset released a third single, titled "Transfusion" (stylized as t r a n s f u s 1 0 n).

Musical style and influences

Starset's musical style has been described as alternative rock, electronic rock, hard rock, alternative metal, and progressive rock. Due to the large number of styles, instruments, and influences of the band's work, many outlets, including AllMusic, Billboard, and Revolver all commonly label the band as "rock" or as a "rock band".
Bates informally describes the music as "cinematic rock". In elaborating further, he said it's "as if a hard-rock band did the soundtrack to an epic blockbuster movie. ... We're blending symphonics with electronics with riff-driven, baritone guitar hard rock". Bates explained the evolution of sound with the band's second album, Vessels×Vessels20 January 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Order1:062Satellite3:593Frequency4:414Die for You5:175Ricochet5:106Starlight4:467Into the Unknown4:308Gravity of You4:469Back to the Earth4:1310Last to Fall5:0311Bringing It Down5:4812Unbecoming4:1013Monster4:1614Telepathic4:4215Everglow7:54: "Whereas [Transmissions×Transmissions8 July 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1First Light1:242Down With the Fallen4:183Halo3:464Carnivore4:235Telescope5:316It Has Begun5:177My Demons4:488Antigravity6:099Dark on Me5:3810Let It Die4:3211The Future Is Now4:4612Point of No Return3:4013Rise and Fall5:5414My Demons (acoustic)3:3415Halo (acoustic)3:3616Point of No Return (acoustic)3:5717Let It Die (acoustic)3:1618My Demons (Synchronice remix)3:5319Let It Die (Maniac Agenda remix)7:3220Telescope (EmoTek remix)7:00] was centered in the hard rock lane before, now it goes more metal at times, and the guitar work borrows from djent stylings, and it gets more ambient at times, using electronics at a more deeply integrated level. Whereas the strings were more cinematic, there was more of a quartet before, on this record it’s more of an orchestration."
Bates also stated he implemented some elements of EDM into the second album. Dave Richards Erie Times-News' described the band's sound as "blending the progressive aspirations of Muse with the openhearted approach of emotional and muscular power of bands like Breaking Benjamin". Bates also includes a notable amount of harsh vocals as well as both raw and pitch corrected clean vocals for many different effects.
Influences of Starset include Hans Zimmer, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Ros, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Deftones, Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin.

Members

Current members

Dustin Bates – lead vocals, keyboards, piano, synths, guitars, soundboard, programming (2013–present)
Ron DeChant – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2013–present)
Brock Richards – guitars, backing vocals (2013–present)
Adam Gilbert – drums, percussion (2013–present)
Siobhán Richards – violin, keyboards (2020–present; touring 2017–2020)
Zuzana Engererova – cello (2020–present; touring 2019-2020)
Cory Juba – guitars, synths, soundboard, drum pads (2021–present)
Former touring musicians

Mariko Muranaka Friend – cello, violin (2014–2015, 2018–2019)
Nneka Lyn – cello (2016)
Jonathan Kampfe – cello (2017–2018)
Timeline