Post
by para_rigby » 13 Jun 2011, 01:31
Finally I can do a decent review of 215. Just remember I'm not very good at explaining music terminology so here we go:
Graded on a scale of 1-5, 5 being outstanding...
1. Power Two/ Hotblade (4)
I liked Plastic very much and it was nice injection to SCP's male lineup. The song is a sequel of sorts, in my opinion, with a continuing aggressive sound. Some people have lamented the short "SCP Eurobeat Edits", but the label has pretty much squeezed every ounce of energy into a shorter period of time. The riff and chorus just plain kick ass.
2. No Turning Back/ Tora (5)
Alongside the Classic Mix of King & Queen, this is Sinclaire's best female track to date since his reinvention in the 180s. I don't know if he listened to the complaint about the tunnel singing for the females, but it is gone in this song. Everything from the intro, riff, verses, and chorus just astound me. This is how I feel Sinclaire should produce all of his female tracks. If I could give a 6 for the song's intro alone, I would do that! This definitely could be my favorite female track of the 210s so far (Sex Skiller and Baby Come Back are in some serious competition.
3. Skylight/ Dave Rodgers (4.5)
A Sunfire song I really enjoy?! Yes! I usually am hesitant to listen to a Sunfire song because the synths and productions values seem "amateurish", but this song harkened me back to a personal favourite song of Dave's, "Shake". The background melodies and riff are sharp, fast, yet convey a smooth feeling that matches his vocals. Be proud, Sunfire, that you have a fan with this song.
4. Maximisin'/ A-Lik (5++++)
I love SCP, don't get me wrong, but the female tracks within the past dozen albums or so have been, well....lacking in punch (except for Yo Shine's debut and the magnificent Boom Boom Scream). As others have mentioned, there is a definite hint of pop/dance influences on this track. From the very beginning to the very end, this track oozes a cheesy yet serious tone for me. This is right up my alley. The added vocals that bounce from the foreground to the background right before the sabi is just inventive to me. If the vocalist had a deeper voice and the song slowed down a tad, I could see this being played on a dance radio station.
5. Are You Ready to Fly/ Dream Fighters (2.5)
Nothing terrible about this song, but it sounds like such a generic David Dima track.
6. Love Is Like A Rain/ Delta Queens ft. Paul Harris (3)
First off, I certainly wouldn't use the Delta Queens alias here, but that's just me. This is a more typical aishu sounding eurobeat track. I am a big fan of Luca T. so I'm pretty much happy whenever I get to hear him. Clara, on the other hand, seems to show her age in her vocals. God bless both of them.
7. Mecha Fireball/ Jeff Driller (4)
Yes to HI-NRG ATTACK doing faster songs again. I'm pretty much giving this song a score of 4 because we're getting back to the sounds we loved before this whole "let's slow everything down to 120-140 BPM crap". The vocals are explosive and the synth ridiculous, of course, but isn't that why we love HI-NRG ATTACK?
8. Time of Fighters/ Luke (3)
Luca, why do you sound like a creepy uncle? You sounded great in Love Is Like A Rain, but now it's a much deeper, creepier sound with this. This is a typical Post-Newfield Delta track...not bad, not great. This is such a shame...I know Capaldi can do more imaginative productions.
Tracks 9-12 will be graded when I listen to them more
13. Tower of Love/ Cindy & Cy-Ro (5+++)
Wow. Just f**kin' awesome. I thought I would hate this song when I heard the sample, but samples seem to lie about the true awesomeness of a song. First off, let's talk about the great riff that harkens to the speedier past of HI-NRG ATTACK. Now, I wouldn't have thought these two vocalists together would so great, but it totally works. Cindy somewhat-squeaky vocals and Cy-Ro's unique sound blend in such an odd way. Totally golden. I hope someone from the label realizes how awesome of a track this is. Tora vs. Cindy & Cy-Ro throw down for the best track of the album!!!!!!