First off ,I must say that SEB 188 sounds amazing. Has the potential to be up there with 179. The tracks are hardedge melodic and aggressive all at the same TIME. Almost all labels present Bulls Eyes! 11 out of 13 songs get the Dr. NRG vinyl seal of approval
DR. NRG Super Eurobeat 188 review.
1. The Snake- Queen Of Mean(SCP). To put SCP on the frontline of SEB has never been my choice, but this TIME AVex hits the target. The Snake was just o.k. with his first attempt, but on this Queen of Mean, he or should I say, they sounds more polished. Especially in the guirtar licks. They really incorporated the 80's Rock sound into this track brilliantly. There is mega adrenaline oozing from the riff. I myself questioned it's effectiveness from a lack of a Synthesizer riff, but offing SCPs keyboards, which someTIMES have a transy feel to them, was the icing on the cake for this track. That and that infectuous chorus. Queeeen Of Meeeeen! Who can't SCREAM along to that ?SCP scores a Mega bomba!
10+/10
2. Mark & Roby- Tokyo Tonight(Asia). Again we are happy to have Saifam back on board. I would have loved to have Diabolik on this cd, but nontheless this track is just as great. The recepie is pretty simple. Take a massive TIME hit written by Farina in the golden Italo era (Mike Hammer- Divine) , speed it up and completely change the lyrics. Add a few aggressive Go Gos some vocoders and you have one of Saifams best of the year. Also one of the best tracks on the cd.
9/10
3. Daniel- Spirit Of The Night(DELTA). Whenever I see Matteo Rizzi's credits, I know I'm in for a wild synthesizer rollor coaster ride. He gives new meaning to the phrase chord progression. Add that to the fact that this is new Daniel material and you have an instant DELTA classic. This one definately equals Frontal Impact in melody and vocals. Here is a track where the listener can actually bask in what is the genious of an extended version should be. This way the composer can really experiment with the soundworlds. The standout part is definately the third verse where Newfield drops the vocals in the bridge for hardedge guitars and female backup, showcasing the synths beautifully. Three for three and the hits on this cd so far and the hits only get better.
10+/10
4. Giorgia V.- Race Queen(Go Go's) Havn't really been a fan of Go Go's music , but that is all about to change. I can't pinpoint if it's Giorgia Veccini's vocals or the overall melody of the song, but somthing definatley works. Those light keyboards are again present(seems AbeatC, Go Go's and SomeTIMES SCP share these keyboards) . Nontheless, they do not steel the spotlight form the rest of the soundworlds., especially when coupled with regular synths(you can hear them in the riff) My only complain would be that there is no break in the middle, but either way, the song is still great. Now let's hear more Giorgia instead of *cough* Mari-San. BTW, looking at images of all the Japanese Race Queen cuties while listening to the song makes it twice the fun.
9/10
5. Chris Stanton- A Perfect Hero(TIME). We are up the monster track of the cd. All you guys got me so hyper, that I saved it for last when first listening to the cd. I must say this track is Perfect on every level and I will spare no praises.
1. Perfect Intro: From the start the listener is pulled into a whole minute of unique and dare say very unEurobeat soundworld's, but perfectly showcasing the hard pounding Guitar, that one can't help but replay it at least 2-3 TIMES before actually letting the track continue . Add a commanding "RIGHT" and Chris demanding your sexy body and you have the perfect intro.
2. Perfect Riff: the best way to describe it would be that it contains all the power of say Dave Simon's- All 4 One. Mr. Dall Ora almost sounds like he is pounding the life out of his keyboard forcing it to push out it's last remaining drop of a note.
3. Perfect verses(special Attention to verse 3): Mr. Dall Ora has allways written some Lyrics that go perfectly with His compositions. This song is no acception. They could be best compared to Dave- Pride. The third verse is Pure bliss for TIME favs, like me. having Elena finish off Chris on each line really just shot me back into those 90's glory days.
4. Perfect Bridge . Again Dall Ora creates the perfect bridge to Chorus. The aggressive "Right" just adds to commanding feeling the song allready has.
5. Perfcet Chorus: Any song with the line "I am A Super hero" has to deliver a Charasmatic, Epic and almost Narcasistic tone to them and Chris delivers on all three. I've said it once and I say it agin, Chris vocals are so full of Passion and aggression that they remind me of the way ,The King of Eurobeat vocals; Gino Caria would sing a song!
Perfect Break: Fast in your face and super aggresive. Again sounds so far off from the overall safe formula of a Eurobeat song's break, that it hits the mark. The guitars are played with the same burning vibe as in Heartbreaker 2008.
Perfect Outro: Hardly ever used in Dall Ora productions, but when it is present, it sounds nothing short of a glorious epic ending. A perfect ending to a perfect story to the PERFECT SONG that will probly be many Initail D fans wet dream!
The real question is who is the Perfect Hero? Christian De Leo with his charasmatic agressive Eurobeat vocals? Or Sergio Dall Ora? With his Amazing ability to push out Eurobeat Classic after classic?
10++++/10(Needless to say top contender for song of the year)
6. Irene- Nothing About Me Baby(SCP). This song was put after Chris Stanton for the soul purpose of letting the listener catch thier breath. It's like the break in an extended song. This SCP entry is the only real downfall for me, but it's not too much of a drop. The synth riff seems to want to push out some bpm's, but the chorus just holds back too much. Her vocals sound good and the Pamsy Transy sound was ommited in turn for SCPs more appropriate sounding keyboards. They kinda have that "Love Is The Name ..." feeling. The best part for me would be the break. The added quircky instruments add a sort of light hearted vibe, wich in this case meks it fun, but not childish.
7+/10
7. Norma Sheffeild- Do You Really Wanna Love Me(ABeatC). AbeatC did a really good job on this cd. All thier entries were above level for me. Whenever I see the Title Norma Sheffield, I know it will be a slower romantic feel, but from the better end of that style. This song sounds like all other Norma songs. To me, that is good. Her vocals sound terrific , so maybe it's a good that she takes those short hiatus. The intro of the song is rather amazing, but haunting in a beautiful way the keyboards are played. Picking just 10 songs form this cd for a top 10 was hard enough with all the great quality, but since I will probly be hearing this song a lot more, it will surely make an apearence in my top 10.
8/10
8. Cherry- Anyway Anymore. Now that we all had a little break; it's back to the hard punching Eurobeat we all love. DELTA excels in creating the best for Clara. Add to the fact that she sings with such passion and conviction and you know exactly what to expect. This song has something that I simply must have in my Eurobeat. That is a perfect synching of The melody in the verses, bridge ,chorus and riff . Percussion is also a deciding factor of a hit or miss for me. Anyway, Anymore has less snare drums and more basic drum rolls after verses and bridge. The way Clara holds the note in the final line before the keyboard riff is definatley my favorite part of the song.The break is also note worthy with it's addictive beats and rhythems. It will surly have the listener replaying it over and over again.
10+/10
9. Leslie Hammond- Run & Run. We are up to what seems the controversal track of the cd. I will admit that upon hearing the sample I was less than impressed, buy after hearing the track in it's entirety , I have to say high score accross the board.. I can only guess the little "Comons" in the intro are Leslie's real vocals. They don't sound too bad, but for a song like this the hyper style works better. They give the Running theme merrit and you really have to listen with a deaf ear to catch all the different instruments being played throughout the song. Once you pin point each one, you will notice what a well composed track this is. Add to fact that she starts each line with "bang bang bang" and I'm like pudding in HRG Attack's hands.
9+/10
10.Mega NRG Man- Up & Down Spin Me Like A Record(ABeatC). So it seems that I too owe ABeatC some apologies for my initial thoughts on this new MEga NRG Man song. SomeTIMES those samples really suck the life out of a track. The first thing I noticed is that Thomas was singing in a more aggressive tone. His vocals sound a little forced, but for him that is a good thing esp. when he sounds more like he did on "Sex All Over The Phone" and less like "Back To The 80's". I thought the song was really well thought out in composition and this TIME the soundworlds really reflect the feeling of the song. Playing the keyboards in a sort of jumpy fasion really gave me the feeling of a record spinning round throughout the song. The verses kind of lack that special NRG, but that bridge again so well showcases the chorus that they go by almost unnoticed. The chorus itself uses lyrics so catchy that it immediatly makes it come to life and therfore easy to sing along to .Now just change the first lines of the chorus to "You Spin me Right Round Baby Right round" and this could easily be a nice take on The Dead Or Alive hit. The only downfall it has, if any would be the intro and break. I'm sure Pasquinni could inject a lot more NRG into those in the future.
8+/10
11 DJ NRG- Go Go Champion(ABeatC). What I just said about ABeatC intros means absolutley nothing on this track. This is Pasquinni creating a perfect intro for the song. It really sets up the listener for the keyboard melody played in the riff. Next you have what AbeatC uses to incorporate a lot in thier soccer themed songs. The audience roars effects. This TIME they are very well choreographed into the song's feel. Now we have Gianni Corraini doing vocals. he may not sound as polished as in "I'm A Dee Jay" or "Bad Boy" , but amazingly sounds great on a Eurobeat song. Pasquinni also seems to be paying more attention to his Bridge leading to the chorus. Somthing ABeatC has lacked for my liking. As allways, I must mention the break. That is what extenede is about. On this song it works very well esp the way it is introduced. You hear some nice percussion and two sets of Synthesizers being played. The song could have been longer, but in the end I was surprisingly pleased with the final edit.
10/10
12. David Dima- Tsundere Night(Dima). We finally get Dima's new mate rial on SEB. I have been purchasing away on his juno tracks and half of those are new to me , so I'm still pleased I can continue my Dima "High" with this new entry. The intro is pure bliss! It's unique use of raw pianos really gives that whole night feeling. The title it's self was confusing to me at first. I didn't understand why not just sing Thunder Night? Then I found out it was some Japanese animi thing. Not the cool bloody style , but some chick toons. Not the image I get when listeing to the song. All that aside; this is really extraordinary work from Dima. Not the adrenaline rush like A Perfect hero, but Dima fuses his Eurobeat soundworlds so well, that it doesn't have to be to sound effctive. His aggressive vocal style pretty much provides all the energy his music needs to easily compete with higher BPM's of HRG and TIME. Now comes the break. Some fans I have conversed with say that to them it doesn't really make the song stand out more than a regular 4 minute edit, but I have to disagree, esp in a Dima song. Here the break is pretty short, but showcasing some really great piano work, so it does make a world of diiference. Add to that an amazing outro and you got another solid grade.
10/10
13. Sandy- The Power Of Loving You(Sinclaire Style) The best part of this song is the Intro and Break. The cord progression seems to be building up to an epic chorus. Sadly that was not the case. To best describe the song would be a b-side DELTA realease, but with Newfield only watching on the sidelines. Meaning it lacks all the Power of that misleading title. Funny thing is the sample didn't sound so bad to me at first. Maybe it's the fact ,that it is so misplaced on this cd and not a worthy outro to an allready powerful cd....and what's with those little shout outs? It sounds as if just added at last minute to try and compete with the cds other powerful entries. Never the less; it's not a skipper, but definatly not a repeater either. I think Sinclaire really needs some powerful male adrenaline rush vocals injected into his compositions.
7-/10
The level of this cd is so high for me. This is what I love about Eurobeat. Catchy hard edged ,adrenaline rushed ,pulse pounding hits like the ones showcased on this cd .
The new SEB additions; Asia and Dima provided instant classics. Not only that , but I was very surprised with AbeatC and SCP pushing out instant hits. My other favourites just kept me smiling and dancing, and even Mr. Dall Ora managed to push the quality of his music to even more epic porportions with " A Perfect Hero" I believe the bar has just been raised up even higher; which undoubtably means great news for all of us, since we are bound to get even better Eurobeat tunes.
Top 3 songs
1. Chris Stanton- A Perfect Hero(TIME)
2. Daniel- Spirit Of The Night(DELTA)
3. Cherry- Anyway Anymore(DELTA)
Actually with all the solid 10, it's hard to choose just three.
about this track on the forum, however it appeared to be my most FAVORITE track of the whole album 
