Tera-pies

I'm not entirely sure if it's the influence of age, encouraging me to open my ears to new, previously untouched musical vistas...OR as my brother puts it, I simply have a frickin obvious bias towards anything from the land of sushi and Doraemon. I remember(and still am) not being much of a fan of the likes of Enter Shikari or Attack Attack. On the other hand, though I LOVE Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas! They're one of the only 2 sasau-core bands I properly layan from start to finish(you guessed it, Crossfaith's the other one). Uhuh, definitely the Japanese thing then.

I would actually dance to this though. Fer reals. You heard it here first; Syaf would actually sasau to SOMETHING. I really like how they mix Bodom/KSE-esque riffy goodness with video game noises, and of course, the aforementioned sasau elements. Then there's Minami's range of screams; it goes from guttural lows, all the way through to machine-gun-paced shrieks. I'm usually not a fan of the over-usage of autotune in vocals, but for this band I'll make an exception. Another thing I like about this band are their progressions. Each individual track(which averages on the typical 3-4 minute mark) is a mini aural journey that takes you from point A to B. Very Protest The Hero-esque, in terms of their unconventional song structures.

I'd definitely recommend listening to the entire frickin album! But I will share with you my absolute favorite moments for some of the tracks.

2. Rave-up Tonight

The key change at 1:47. 

4. Thunderclap

I love the entire track actually, but my favourite bit starts at 2:51 till the end. Gotta love those Megaman-esque keys man!

6. Virtue and Vice

Sasau-core at it's finest. Even the guitar riffs alone would do it for ya. But paling tak boleh blah about this song is at 1:56.

7. Nail The Shit Down

The sped up section at 2:03, which then slows back down to a pretty cool jazz breakdown starting at 2:20.

10. Flutter of Cherry Blossoms

California Girls moment at 1:47. Serious doh. Sumpah you put the Katy Perry lyrics in there, boleh kene gak. And it basically continues being awesome for me with the harmonized tapping, and another Megaman-esque keyboard moment right after that.

11. Stay as Who You Are

The only 7 minute track in the album. Starts out all BMTH-ish(ala Chelsea Smile), and then somehow morphs into this really summery vibe in the middle. 3:40 is where it's at! Sumpah it'll cheer your mood up kaw kaw. It's just hard to not be happy and giddy with the keyboard part here. Think of old Mickey Mouse cartoons and the way he struts and whistles along the street. That's basically how this section would make you feel. I call this one the Pokemon moment. You'll get why if you listen to it.

1. Foreword

Intros, interludes and ending clips either serve as aural trailers for what is about to come in the album, OR they're simply pointless fillers which some albums can easily do without. This one is the former. You kinda get a sense of what this album is going to be about; there are epic and majestic moments, build ups and crescendos, really beautiful singing and catchy guitar work. The guitar harmonies in particular man...in the words of Rathika Sheila, I can't even doh.

2. All Rise

The first track to be released by the then new outfit, months before the album was released. It's a good  snapshot for the direction the band is going for. Crushing-yet-melodic metal rhythms, interspersed with hooky chorus structures. From personal experience, this was one of those songs that took awhile, but it WILL eventually grow on you.

3. Death To Rights

I have a love/hate relationship with this song. That main riff in the beginning is badass tahap Killswitch aa. Apa yang slack kat sini is the fact that the bridge is WAY catchier and more interesting than the chorus. That's just not right dato'. And it's at 1:49 - 2:30. You're welcome.

4. Tempest

Musically, this track and the 14th track, Prophets(previously known as One Year in the previews) share some musical DNA; they've clearly been channeling their inner Judas Priest with these particular tracks...and they are SO good. Again, another aspect I love about this band is the lyric skills. Bapak gempak sial. I call this song the Homer(as in the Greek writer, not our favorite D'oh-nut) song, because it just makes you think of Greek mythologies and soaring through the Athenian skies on your Pegasus. I mean just take a look at the chorus. Epik. Tahap. Gaban; 

My wings they unfold in a storming gale,

The tempest calls for my flight to fail

When gravity beckons with it's hold

In spite of all the horizon sends winds to take me home

5. The Mason

I'm not sure if it's because of the tuning(it's in Drop C), or the abundance of palm-muted, alternate picking patterns that give this one some semblance of what AILD used to sound like. So there you go, not all berubah kaw kaw. This one has a pretty catchy chorus too. That's something you will see me say a lot la through out this entire post...THE CHORUSES.

6. Moving Up

Remember how I said they sound WAY more mainstream now? Ta da. Intro dia alang-alang Linkin Park lama kot. Which is fine by me. A good riff is a good riff, regardless of technical skill. However, having a lot of gems in this album, this is one of the less-loved children of mine la. It's still a good song. But meh(and yes, Syaf-style shrug included).

7. Sight of Shore

This is as AILD as you're ever gonna get on this album. The verse harmony reminds me of the twin lines from The Darkest Nights off Shadows are Security. The solo is definitely the most rock kapak moment out of the entire album too. The comment in the studio update was spot on; you definitely need a fan to blow Nick Hipa's hair as he wails through the solo.

8. Father/Son

I call this lagu Anthony(referring to a friend of mine with a penchant for all things post-rock and ambience). This is definitely the biggest turn around moment, in the sense that this was basically written by the same guys who did Nothing Left. It actually reminds me a lot of Vheissu era Thrice, be it structurally, musically, lyrically, vocally, etc. But this is a frickin catchy tune though. It's radio-friendly enough to make it to mainstream stations too.

9. Profane

I call this the WWE PPV track. You can instantly imagine this as the soundtrack to say, Summerslam or Survivor Series. Definitely doable for the WWE video games too. But the lyrics here quite the dalam(pronounced as duh-laam) jugak, despite it being the punkiest tune on the record. It's got my favorite chorus lines out of the entire album; 

I am a calloused hand from gripping the rock 

I am short a feathered wing for the flock 

I'm not weathered from your weightless voices bearing witness

10. Archer

Lagu sasau. Well kinda. The whole Edge style delay lines in the intro and choruses help give this track a refreshing twist. Riffing wise, especially in the verses, it's also one of the most technical. As usual, chorus menang. Overall, this has a bouncy feel to it.

11. Ruined Ends

Alang-alang FFAF(Funeral For A Friend, if you didn't get that...and referring to their heavier side, not the new-wavey stuff). That's all you need to know.

12. Identity

Ok this one has a bit of AILD to it too. Another meh for me personally.

13. Matter of Time

I need to correct myself here; there are 3 Priest inspired tracks on this album. This is another one. Josh Gilbert(AILD/Wovenwar's bassist-vocalist) takes lead vocal duties here. Suara dia lagi rock aa. And it serves the song quite well. Another frickin catchy chorus.

14. Prophets

Aa at last. THE song. The one yang made me wait in agony until the album came out. The big tease. The reason that got me hooked on to this new reincarnation of the band that was formerly known as As I Lay Dying. Letak kat last track pulak tu. Ish. But, at least for me, it was worth the wait. The song didn't dissapoint. It's got a peculiar structure though. I can't make any heads or tails of it. I'm not sure if there's even a chorus, or if the song is simply tied by recurring "melodic pre-choruses". This one too deserves a lyric shoutout;

I have seen a friend-turned-martyr bleed

And for what?

For what a stranger thought to us

with no authority to speak

It's always the loudest

who voice only their ignorance

15. Onward

Outro track. That's it.

It's been awhile since I've properly geeked out over a "new" band. And even longer for a "new" band to be on my "must-watch-list". I. MUST. WATCH. THEM. LIVE.