Here we are again, with this month's issue of Super Eurobeat Magazi-- er... Series.
Seriously, with volumes coming out each month, it's like a magazine. It's been this way for so long, I can't believe I haven't heard anyone make the comparison!
Anyway volume 203 was so good, it confirmed my feelings for this SEB decade, and so I listened to this volume with high hopes.
Sadly, (like 202 was, compared to 201) although this was a great album as a whole, there weren't really many standouts.
Don't let that give you the wrong idea about my views on this album, though! I think it's great, so let's just get on with the review now.
01. Jager - I Won't Fall Apart
Rating: 9.5/10
Woah, now this is a strong start! I'd never heard of Jager before, so this was a pleasant surprise.
The synth riff is pretty nice and driving. The bridge is very nice and the chorus is one of the catchiest I've come across in a while!
It's absolutely amazing, and the production value is very high here too. I love the drum break when it goes from bridge to chorus, it just fits so perfectly!
The second half of the chorus is also a welcome surprise, since it breaks just a little bit from the traditional eurobeat formula.
If there's one thing I can give today's eurobeat, it's that it's not afraid to get a bit experimental, and that's a very good thing, especially when most of these songs end up sounding great!
This is an amazing song, and a great way to start the album.
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02. Stella - Forever Fly
Rating: 7/10
Very good intro here, first of all. Gives you a good idea about the dreamy mood of the song.
It's not really anything special, at least not until the chorus comes along, which is pretty great.
Vocals here are pretty amazing too, especially in the chorus. Stella really shines in this song.
Despite how good the chorus is, and the great mood, though, it's not really anything I would listen to very often. I wish I had more to say.
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03. Powerful T. - Face The Race
Rating: 7.25/10
"WOO Powerful T.! WOO nice intro! WOO-- wait that's kinda generic."
Even though (for the most part) this has "typical A-Beat C" all over it, it's still a great and strong song.
Great verse, and the bridge leads the way to the chorus nicely. Great guitar solo, as usual for A-Beat, and T's vocals are still top notch!
Long story short, I approve of this song. Not many deserve the name Powerful T. on them, you know.
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04. Lolita - Good Love & Mystery
Rating: 6.5/10
Haha, man, her voice hasn't lost it at all.
This is pretty good, and keeps with Lolita's style totally. I find that you really have to be a fan of that style to like (or at least appreciate) her songs.
It's a pretty interesting song, but not really something that'd make it on my non-stop playlist.
That said, I wouldn't mind coming across this song on a megamix or something in the future.
It's pretty good, and production value is high too, so that's nice.
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05. Manuel - All Is Magic
Rating: 8/10
Wow, now THAT'S a good intro! If there's one word that could describe Manuel's voice, it's WILD. In fact, I think that describes it perfectly.
Pretty great synth riff, awesome verse, decent bridge, but the chorus seems like it's from a different song!
It's pretty awkward, but I really like it somehow. It's strange, but this song comes together nicely.
This is Manuel's first song at Dima Music, and I'd say it's a very nice start. I can't wait to hear more!
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06. Mela - Sandy
Rating: 7.75/10
AMAZING INTRO. Just oozes awesome.
I love the bridge so much, and the chorus is nice and enjoyable.
Considering Boom Boom Beat's style and, well, BOOM BOOM BEATS, it seems a bit off in a song like this that focuses on melody, rather than rhythm.
The synths (riff and background) are a GREAT fit for this song though, and I love the break about three and a half minutes in.
If this song were produced twenty years ago, it'd still sound this good. Mainly because Asia Records' sound was perfect for this back then.
Now, I'll be honest, as far as the name Mela goes, this is no "Help Me". But then again, it's not 1989 now is it?
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07. Danny Rock - Rainbow
Rating: 8.25/10
"What's this? Even MORE BoomBoomBeat?! And this time it's Farina? F**k yeah!"
Compared to a song like Sandy, this song is much more suited for the style and hardcore beats that BBB has to offer.
Great verse and bridge, and an amazing chorus are all accompanied by Farina's rough-n-tough vocals, which (unlike a few artists who have been around as long as him) haven't diminished once in over twenty years.
There's so many things about this song to like... it's just so likable, what can I say - just another great SAIFAM production like most of the others.
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08. Cindy - Squeeze Me
Rating: 7/10
"Something HRG this way comes... please for the love of all that is holy, don't lose the sanity you had last time with I Am A Liar...!"
Luckily, they didn't. That's not to say I don't like insanity. It's perfectly fine, as long as it's a good song. It's just that a lot of HRG's stuff seems to be crazy for the sake of crazy, without too much regard for variety in melodies.
Anyway, this is a pretty good song. I really love the bridge, and the chorus isn't too bad either.
Nothing TOO special, but I can appreciate this song for what it's worth completely, and it's pretty darn good.
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09. Paul Harris - Bang Bang
Rating: 8.25/10
Well I think it's official - I'm no fan of those synths.
More specifically, whatever kind of synth they're using in that riff. It's a good riff, but I don't like that saw-like synth, or whatever it is.
Anyway, Paul Harris has always been pretty good in my opinion, and Delta's very strong right now, so I went into this song with some hopes.
I have no idea why, but they weren't met the first time I listened to this song. I couldn't appreciate just how epic the chorus is, I guess.
Compared to the chorus, not much else about this song is anything to write home about, but really it's not bad at all.
It's just that the chorus... is so awesome. And Paul's vocals are crisp as usual, too. He's perfect for this song, in every way.
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10. Melissa White - Promised Discoland
Rating: 7/10
Heh, I kinda went into this song expecting it to be one of the best tracks on the album, because it had Disco in the title (I'm a big fan of Disco-infused Eurobeat).
Sadly this has absolutely nothing on Phil & Linda, so I was a bit disappointed. That said, this is a pretty great song anyway!
It's just Melissa White's style, and is another song I wouldn't mind hearing on a megamix sometime.
But even still, this song doesn't do anything to venture too far from traditional formula, so I wish I had more to say about this track, but I don't.
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11. Joe Banana - Cataclysm Night
Rating: 8.5/10
Remember when I said HRG tends to be crazy for the sake of crazy? Throw that out the window on this track. This is a controlled blaze here.
Man, I'm really impressed by this song. The bridge is chaotic, awesome, and epic all at the same time.
Mr. Banana's vocals in the chorus are just plain unbelievable! I love that style so much, in this type of song. I mean, when his voice does that wobbly-or-whatever-thing at "A new era for the world", it's just great.
Come to think of it, Joe Banana tracks have always been pretty great, especially Dum Dum Pistol, so it's good to see that trend continuing.
This song joins that small, exclusive list of HRG Attack songs that I'll listen to non-stop any day! Just amazing.
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12. M.O.V. featuring Frankie - Heat Me Up
Rating: 9/10
"Another newcomer, eh? This could be good, if Jager's any indication." Boy was I right.
I don't know much about this artist, but his voice (and honestly, the whole verse) reminds me so much of Dead Or Alive, it's scary... but more importantly, cool.
And "cool" describes the chorus to a T. This song is awesome, and production value is sky-high. I'm loving the instruments being used here.
It's only five minutes long, but it could be ten and I'd love it just as much.
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13. MAX - Tora Tora Tora (2010 Year of the Tiger Remix)
Rating: 6/10
*sigh* And I thought Good Love And Mystery was the low point of this album.
I was never a big fan of Tora Tora Tora. It's a decent enough song, but just so damn overplayed, I can't even enjoy it's awesome synth riff anymore.
At any rate, this remake is VERY nicely done. If only all remakes were produced this well.
This isn't what TTT would sound like if it were produced now, it's the real TTT, just recreated and updated with today's instruments. Now that's how it's done.
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14. Ace - Don't Stop The Dance (Vintage 2001 Deluxe Version)
Rating: 10/10
WHAT THE F**K IS THIS I DON'T EVEN.
This song... is just heaven. I think that's exactly the way to put it. The mood, and Ace's clear vocals... yeah that sounds right.
This song is a shining example of why we NEED the return of Eurobeat SINGLES. Vinyl, CD, MP3, I don't care! Just imagine if we had this song almost a decade ago when it was made! Unreal.
Anyway, I LOVE the piano, and the percussion is a really great touch. The melody of this song is so amazing, I'm speechless. I could listen to this song for an hour.
As long as it can be pulled of as well as this one was, I would love to see more ARR-N-BEE remixes of eurobeat songs. I mean, this is a shining example of how great a lot of eurobeat songs can sound when slowed down!
This, like Diabolik on 203, is another "perfect" song. I wouldn't do anything to this. An mindblowing way to end the album, for sure.
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TOTAL SCORE: 110/140
At first, I was somewhat disappointed in the volume as a whole, but (especially compared to past volumes) this is still a great album with plenty of gems and not many low points at all.
I'm definitely still optimistic about the SEB decade, and will be looking forward to hearing 205 for sure.
