Super Eurobeat 215


1.Hotblade - Power Two (SCP)
Hotblade returns after the insanely catchy and memorable Legendary Heart with his similar aggressive attitude. Power Two sounds like a track that had a good idea behind it; Good vocals and a catchy chorus, but it all feels slightly unfinished. The track's soundworld feels really fitting for the song, but it seems to be missing one or two extra layers to add in a bit of extra depth. Now it feels very plain and simple, a bit of extra bass could've fixed the problem and made the song feel even more powerful than it already is. Negative sides aside, there's plenty of good as well, so it isn't a lost cause. The track is fun to listen to and is easily recognizable, but in the long run the track remains as a plain good song, still a bit more to go for that legendary rank his previous song achieved without much effort.
Rating : 8½

2.Tora - No Turning Back (SinclaireStyle)
SinclaireStyle has been releasing quite a few songs with female vocalists, but out of them all not a single one has really managed to capture my ear the way I would have hoped. So it's bloody well time for him to produce something really enjoyable. No Turning Back sounds so thoroughly Sinclaire it's instantly recognizable, but this time it's not at all negative since the sounds aren't metallic nor hollow, the vocals aren't lifeless or numbing, but instead sound very catchy and enjoyable. As a finished piece of art the song works quite nicely, but it's definitely not without it's flaws. The "Aaaa aaa, Ooh ooh oh" extra sounds here and there sound really out of place and don't really fit the song, kind of like an extra scrap from a different song entirely. Anyways, this is definitly the first Sinclaire female song that I really admit to enjoying. Ignore Mom & Dad, it's a different thang.
Rating : 9

3.Dave Rodgers - Skylight (Sunfire Records)
I admit to being a bit biased as of late with the Dave songs. The past few years haven't really brough forth many actually enjoyable tunes from this mastermind. It's quite unfortunate to build prejudices for titles, but it's unavoidable when there's been plenty of rather boring entries. Skylight brings forth something different, but with old ingredients in the mix: The sounds we heard in the awesome Rich Hard tune are here again, but the classic eurobeat structure is heavily present and Mr. Pasquini's vocals naturally mean eurobeat for most of us anyways. Skylight has a really basic structure which doesn't really leave much imagination for guessing, but it's still functional. While the verses sound quite drawn out, the chorus and c-melody click together really well and make the song quite enjoyable. It's not an instant hit like Space Invader or Eldorado were, but it's getting a lot better than most of his other recent songs.
Rating : 8+

4.Alix - Maximisin' (SCP)
Witty and inventful songs aren't exactly what eurobeat is known for. The labels and singers tend to have their own specialities, but they still tend to move on a familiar and safe ground, this time we're on an entirely different level. Maximisin' presents us with SCP's newest performer who has been abducted from Halflife 2. The song sounds like eurobeat, but with an entirely new and fresh twist to things; the more Scandinavian sounding discoesque flow fits the song perfectly and makes it sound simply bewitching. I find the song is similar to Norwegian Annie's productions and it's not common to find close relatives from more mainstream dance. The way the song sounds quite global and fitting for fans of more typical European dance is enough praise already. The brilliant elements and a catchy melody are enough to make a good song, but on top of that Alix throws in great vocals to boot. A terrific example of why I should never underestimate SCP's
Rating : 10

5.Dream Fighters - Are You Ready To Fly (Dima Music)
Davide as a vocalist tends to be very solid in his performances, but even the best have their off-days don't they? Are You Ready To Fly sounds so lifeless and lacking in raw power that it doesn't even feel like a real Davide song. The previous Dream Fighters songs haven't been the label's finest either, so I guess it's fitting that the tradition is kept on going. This time around the song itself isn't bad in any way, but it just sounds too generic and repetitive to really offer much to remember it by. Lyrically the song seems to be lacking a solid theme and now it's just random words chained together. A song that is too meek for its own good.
Rating : 6½

6.Delta Queens Feat. Paul Harris - Love Is Like A Rain (Delta)
Oh what have they done to my Delta Queens? Where's the energy and action? Where's the joy for life, aishu isn't something I for one combine with the title. Love Is Like A Rain has good vocalwork going on, but it doesn't mean much when the track itself has a bland melody and zero high- or lowpoints. Definitely the worst that Delta Queens have released ever, not even Luca can save the song sadly. The only way is up from here... right? RIGHT?
Rating : 6

7.Jeff Driller - Mecha Fireball (HI-NRG Attack)
In anime mechas are bad, can eurobeat save the useless warmachines? I doubt it, but let's give it a shot. Mecha Fireball takes us back in time to the HI-NRG Attack style we heard a lot in the 150s and 160s; Similar wacky and random lyrics with an upbeat melody. The first thing the song stands out is the actual keychanges in vocals, compared to the generic HRG track, this time around the vocalists actually need to put in a bit more effort and it shows. The vocals are the keypoint for the song and sound quite good, with the exception of the repetition of the song title. As usual the lyrics really have no continuity at all and it feels like everything just is there to fill in the empty gaps. Melodically the song is pretty decent, while the chorus isn't quite as strong as it should, the verses patch it up and actually make the song fun to listen to. But a mecha is a mecha no matter the seasoning.
Rating : 7½

8.Luke - Time Of Fighters (Delta)
This album seems to have a theme of the most random lyrics without much of meaning. Time Of Fighters is Luca's second offering for this album and it's instantly a step up from the the generic Love Is Like A Rain. Time Of Fighters sounds pretty catchy at first with the pleasant chorus and nice vocals, but the problem is that it just doesn't stand very heavy repetition. After a few repeats the song starts to sound so last season. A few extra hooks and more solid verses would've been needed to make this song stand out. Currently it's a nice treat every once in a while, but it's not a true hit.
Rating : 7½

9.Candy More - I'll Fly (Go Go's Music)
A new title for a change, who could be Mandy Moore's lost cousin. Candy More pushes forward lively and upbeat vocals that make the song feel really sunny and enjoyable. I'll Fly sounds quite basic at first but a few repeats reveal the sudden key switches and vocal tricks that add up a lot of originality to the song. The lyrics are pretty generic but a few moments really shine, especially the lines: "When I wake up in the night, struck by light, I'm feeling dizzy from my dreams however when I see the starry sky: Emotions with wings." A simple song that manages to make you feel positive just by the upbeat mood.
Rating : 8½

10.Christine - Dancin' Together (SCP)
With the lack of Kiki & Fancy, Christine is here to save the day and bring forth upbeat and happy music. Dancin' Together sounds like an emotional descendant of the euromach era songs she did. A simple upbeat melody with lyrics about enjoying yourself and life. The song pretty much reveals all of its cards within the first minute and it sounds so true to its own style you will either love or hate it. I'm quite sure that a big fraction of people are gonna skip the song due to the giddy happy-go-lucky athmosphere, but for the rest of us there's plenty to enjoy. A Fun lil' song that fits the summer perfectly.
Rating : 8½

11.Boris - Shalaka Boom (Delta)
What happens when HI-NRG Attack gets bred with Delta, Boris does. A Russian themed Delta song feels so funky it can only bring forth great results. And it does. Shalaka Boom is a very typical eurobeat song with a few extra tricks to make it remain memorable. Vocals are what make the track really shiny, the masculine low voice fits the Russian theme perfectly plus the unique accent just adds up to the songs uniqueness. Great verses paired up with a memorable chorus help this song stand out as one of the best entries on this album. Hopefully we will hear more of these "label mix-ups", wonder what a Russian themed SCP song would be like? Gooorky Park.
Rating : 9½

12.Heather - Beautiful Boy (Dima Music)
Beautiful Boy is not your generic eurobeat song, for a very specific reason. Structure and sounds maybe pretty typical for eurobeat, but the vocals are really at the centerstage this time around. Every once in a while eurobeat tunes push the sounds further to the back and leave much more room for the vocalist, which is a good decision this time since the vocals are what make the song really as good as it is. Sara has been absent from the genre for so long it's definitely refreshing to hear her again. While the structure and sounds don't really provide much special to go with, a good vocalist is exactly what this song needed. A decent melody blessed by good vocals make good things happen.
Rating : 8½

13.Cindy & Cy-Ro - Tower Of Love (HI-NRG Attack)
How awkward can you get? I mean seriously? This track is just wrong on so many levels I don't know where to start. A duet, yeah that's a good idea, but only if it's done properly. Now the vocals feel kind of unnatural and forced together. The metamorphosis of your typical HRG sounds with acoustic elements has worked occasionally but now they just sound like a mishmash of randomness. But the worst part is the absolutely horrible chorus that sounds annoying to the maximum. A song that could've been left out and replaced by some of the HRG's strong entries (I know their catalogue has plenty of those still).
Rating : 5½

14.David Dima - Sunrise ~You'll Always Be Alive~ (Dima Music)
Wow, just wow... Pairing this track together with the previously reviewed Dream Fighters song is quite an interesting test. Davide's strong presence is present on both tracks but they feel like polar opposites. While Are You Ready To Fly sounded lifeless and boring, Sunrise ~You'll Always Be Alive~ sounds profound and thoroughly well considered. The song features a very mature approach to eurobeat with a stripped soundworld that only enhances the vocals' importance even more. In Are You Ready To Fly Davide sounded like he was having an off day, but maybe he was just putting his everything into this song. The changes are really minor but here he really seems to be appreciating the song instead of just doing the singing as a part of a daily chore. Sunrise is definitely a song with much more depth than most of the album put together. An excellent song that can't be listened to in every kind of a mood, but when you are feeling more laidback and want to chill with a song then this is your pick.
Rating : 9+

15.Lisa Johnson - Doctor Doctor (Healing Eurogrooves Remix) (Eurogrooves)
Yeah, Sexy mandesign, we've all been there, but why on earth did a classic faster tune have to get treated so unjustly. Doctor Doctor is one of my favorite eurobeat classics and it never gets old, but stripping the song of it's faster pace and punctual vocals make it just a hollow corpse. Clara's original vocals have been kept intact and still sound good, but a lot inferior to the original with the sexy mandesigns. The acoustic mood just doesn't really fit in with this song and it's sad to have such a song dragging the pretty nicely balanced album down at the very end.
Rating : 6-

Final Words :
I initially was very reserved against this album, I felt it would be another rehash of 177 with only bad songs, but fortunately my instinct wasn't correct this time around. As a full package 215 is actually quite a solid album, with plenty of nice songs and only a few bumps in the road. The thing is though, that the album hovers pretty strongly on the "Good" level instead of trying to aim even higher and into the elite class. But I guess that's acceptable every now and then, plus it could've been a lot worse anyways. None of the labels failed miserably this time around, but nearly all of the labels had a bad song to balance out the better one(s) as well. Maximisin' steals the show this time around with a very strong performace and introduces us with a new title we'll hopefully meet again. The follow up entries were much more even and the 3 different labels this time get the follow up nominees for best tracks + honorable mention: Shalaka Boom, Sunrise ~You'll Always Be Alive~ and No Turning Back all work really well but aren't quite as impressive as Alix. I'm really happy about the way Sinclaire produced a totally different sounding female song which is really great fun and also gives me hope for more quality SinclaireStyle eurobeat. As said, 215 is a good album but Maximisin' is the sole song to really remain a longterm favorite, or so I predict anyways.

Final Score : 7½

The Best 3 songs

- Alix - Maximisin'
- Boris - Shalaka Boom
- David Dima - Sunrise ~You'll Always Be Alive~

The Worst 3 Songs

- Cindy & Cy-Ro - Tower Of Love
- Lisa Johnson - Doctor Doctor (Healing Eurogrooves Remix)
- Delta Queens Feat. Paul Harris - Love Is Like A Rain

Honorable Mention

- Tora - No Turning Back

Labels present on the album:

Delta: 3
Dima Music: 3
Eurogrooves: 1
Go Go's Music: 1
HI-NRG Attack: 2
Saifam: 0
SCP: 3
Sinclaire Style: 1
Sunfire Records: 1

Reviewed by Bore