Green Day's ¡Dos! (2012)

¡Dos! continues the trend set by ¡Uno! . This album leans toward Garage-Rock accompanied with the Pop-Punk Rock blast-beat sound that Green Day is noted for. The second album of the trilogy, ¡Dos! stays on track with its carefree lyrics, bringing us back to the days of a younger Green Day.

There is a bouncy, jumpy feel in most of the sounds that labels this as a 'Party Rock album' . If you ask me, this is a perfect follow-up to the brilliant ¡Uno! . Billy Joe Armstrong is bang on with some great vocals, Mike Dirnt stomps his authority with a brilliant solo on Makeout Party .Tre Cool is flawless, as usual !

Album Art - Mike Dirnt

The lyrical content is, yet again, lighter and a lot of fun to listen to. Hard to believe that Green Day do such a great job making music that'll relate to teens even after being in the music scene for around two decades. For me, their USP has always been their Punk-inspired chord progressions, and there is no lack of that here!

Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt

Getting down to the tracks themselves, here's how they stand :

¡Dos! ---------- ********oo  [8/10]

See You Tonight is a 1:06 long clip of Billie singing a rhyme while strumming the guitar. An endearing start to the album... "Maybe I'll see you tonight..." .

Fuck Time is next. It's a cover of the Foxboro Hot Tubs song, and though I haven't heard the original, Green Day's take on the song is pretty catchy. Time and again I notice the lighthearted lyrics, which make for an enjoyable listen.

Stop When The Red Lights Flash starts of with a fast guitar riff, joined by drums. A catchy chorus makes this a great song to sing along to.And one of those songs that makes you stand up and air-guitar.

Lazy Bones has a comparatively laid-back rhythm with a significant bass. I am really running out of ways to explain what can be best explained as 'typically Green Day' ! The kind of music that makes you bob your head with the tune, air guitar the hell out of your arms, and the vocals that connect with their simplicity.




Wild One continues the laid-back theme, with a low tempo guitar riff that complement the vocals perfectly.

With Makeout Party begins my favourite segment of the album. Return of the PunkRock sound, characterised by the typical chord progressions, a screaming Billie with the bonus of a brilliant bass solo by Mike Dirnt makes this a song to reckon with.

Stray Heart features a significant change in sound with predominantly bass and drum combo in the verse, joined by guitars in the chorus. A perfect song, aptly chosen by the band as the first single. BJA sings in a way that connects with your heart and the overall feel of the song is a big thumbs up to them.The climax to the song is pretty classy. It would have been my favourite song on this album, had it not been for the track that comes next.




Ashley blasts off from the word go. Stellar guitar work and vocals on this track makes sure you never have a dull moment. I particularly love the pre-chorus, which I personally relate to on many levels and I'm sure most of you will, too. A solo perfectly bifurcates the song into a start and an end of what is a 2 minute and 50 second roller-coaster ride.





Baby Eyes picks up seamlessly from where Ashley ends. An adrenaline-packed guitar riff and a fun sing-along tune make this a fun song to listen to.

Lady Cobra is a song dedicated to a singer of the same name from the band 'Mystic Nights Of The Cobra'.She features on the next track and I believe Billie takes this opportunity to introduce us to her! This is yet another spunky 2-minute track with a relentless guitar track.

Nightlife marks the end of the segment. But wait, Lady Cobra sounds amazing on this track! Billie sings with a slur and Lady Cobra raps to perfection, as bass creates a solid wall at the back. Full marks to Green Day for experimenting and coming out on top with a strong song.




Wow! That's Loud brings us back to the sound that we began ¡Dos! with. It's a pretty edgy track that could go either way. The chorus is a bit of a let down. Makes you wonder whether it really was required in the first place. Guitars and Billie's vocals salvage the track.

Amy is the last track, dedicated to the recently passed away artiste Amy Winehouse (Age 27) . The lyrics are top class, matched by some strong singing. This song is, in a way, a fond remembrance in which Billie says " Amy, don't you go! I want you around "

All in all, ¡Dos! is a worthy successor to ¡Uno! . A fun album to spend some time with yourself, with maybe some songs creeping out to touch you. Tracks like Stray Heart & Ashley mark the high points of the album, right in the core , while Amy makes sure the record ends with some closure. While Lazy Bones & Makeout Party reassure of Green Day's original brilliance, Nightlife makes you respect their courage for experimentation.

A hale and hearty 8/10 is what ¡Dos! gets from me, builds up anticipation to review ¡Tre! .Hope it is better!

Till then, Happy Holidays, fellow Maniacs !

Next: The finalé of the trilogy => ¡Tre!

Green Day's ¡Uno! (2012)

Hi Maniacs ! Winter is coming [or already here, depending on where you live!] and let me tell you this, you won't get a better album than ¡Uno! to listen to while you take a long walk in your neighbourhood on a chilly November morning.

Album Art

It is upbeat, it has that amazing bass by Mike Dirnt and the Punk Rock feel that Green Day , and especially Billie Joe Armstrong, is so famous for providing. ¡Uno! is radically different from their last 2 albums - American Idiot (2004) and 21st Century Breakdown (2009). It isn't politically-driven , or satirical of the modern era. This is the old Green Day but with the maturity that brought the best out of them in American Idiot.

At the iHeart Radio festival recently, BJA lost his temper on stage when Green Day's set was cut to 30min from 45min, and the timer showed '1 Minute Left'.It was later revealed on the band website that Billie is seeking help for substance abuse and that the outfit would have to cancel all of their promotional touring till further notice.
Get well soon, Billie! We love ya.

Billie Joe Armstrong at the iHeart Radio Festival

¡Uno! is a light-hearted album that you enjoy even when it plays in the background. The riffs and the solos sound very positive. Let's take a closer look -

¡Uno! --------- *********o    [9/10]

The ball starts rolling with Nuclear Family, that gets off to a great start on guitars. That, coupled with a retro-sounding Bille , make sure you start getting warm vibes from the album already. There's a section where the bass line is pretty amazing and Boom! , a typical Green Day-ish solo follows.



Stay The Night is next. This song has an amazing chorus hook that makes you sing along with BJA. The typical bursts of power chords during the verse stay true to the legacy of punk rock.

Green Day have packed in their ammo right at the start of ¡Uno!. Carpe Diem, another great track, continues the trend of catchy choruses. Tré has been flawless on the drums, with his blast beats and legendary drum rolls.

My favourite on the record is next. Let Yourself Go is an angry track that is perfect in all aspects. Brilliant start, flawless verse, a chorus to die for and a solo that makes you sit up. Billie even gets to scream to the background of muted guitars.

Can you see the madness in Billie's eyes?

Kill The DJ is not exactly like its predecessors, but it is bloody damn good. The melody stays in your head, and suddenly when you're in bed, hours later, you start humming it. And don't stop till the next week. The style is a bit different, but hey, wouldn't we still be in the Stone Age if it were not for experiments?

Fell For You brings us back to charted territory with music that is undoubtedly Green Day to the core.

In fact, I'd like to mention here that this album is as Green Day as it can get. No large-scale experimentation like A Thousand Suns(2010,Linkin Park) or a major deviation of genre like Path Of Totality(2011,KoRn) , but pure Green Day sound. And it works!

Loss Of Control confirms that we are in that region of the album where nothing exceptional is going to come up, but the music is still good to listen to and hum along to. ¡Uno! doesn't disappoint at all.

Troublemaker starts off great, but the chorus simmers down to a less than acceptable energy level and the song doesn't pick up.

Angel Blue gets that smile back to your face. The rhythm is pumping, the blast beats are making their presence felt. 

I wasn't much of a fan of Green Day's work prior to American Idiot, and so I've always identified them with charged up music dismissive of the current era. But ¡Uno! changes that, and I'm loving this new facet of Green Day's music.

Sweet 16 begins where Angel Blue left off. A much softer track, softer vocals with ample melody.

Rusty James has a nice solo and the song is pretty peppy.It is songs like these that make you want to pick up that guitar and totally rock out! And with Green Day, you know you can headbang while playing the chords; they ain't that difficult *wink wink*.

The first single, and the last track of the album, Oh Love finally makes an appearance. Well, it's good, but I can't see why this was chosen as the first single. It gave rise to all kinds of assumptions about ¡Uno! that weren't always favourable. The tempo subsides a bit, but the quality of music doesn't. The solo is a thumbs up, as is the entire solid structure of the song. A great choice to end the album with. 

I rate this album a healthy 9/10 and am looking forward to ¡Dos! .Here's hoping that it is a step up!

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NEWS:

1. ¡Dos! will release soon. Looking forward to sampling it !

2.Because of the Billie Joe substance abuse incident and the consequent cancelling of Green Day shows, the band has preponed the release of ¡Tre! , the last album of the trilogy ¡Uno!-¡Dos!-¡Tres!

3. Linkin Park have been nominated for the MTV EMA for Best Rock. Good luck!

Update: Linkin Park went ahead to win the award. Congratulations LP!

4. Adele deserves a special mention for her vocals on Skyfall - self-titled theme song of the latest Bond movie. Her voice is exceptional. It's so refined, so silky that once one dives into it's smoothness you never surface again. She's like a velvet quagmire. That's some good stuff you shouldn't miss.

5.KoRn guitarist James 'Munky' Schaffer has revealed in an interview that the band will be returning to metal with their next album. He doesn't rule out Electronic elements though.

Next: The follow-up to ¡Uno! => ¡Dos!

Linkin Park's LIVING THINGS (2012)

*A huge shout out to my friends at Linkin Park India Unlimited . Hope you approve of me sharing your little pieces of LP art with the rest of the world! Cheers! Guys, don't forget to Like them on Facebook!*

MusicManiac returns with the review of probably the most awaited album of 2012, LIVING THINGS. A healthy 2 years after the release of the experimental A Thousand Suns (2010) , Linkin Park came out with an album which promised them going back to their roots. To most, this meant the return of screaming vocals by Chester and lead-heavy rhythm by Brad, accompanied by the brand of aggressive rapping that Mike Shinoda is noted for.It meant the return of big choruses, that defined each of Linkin Park's hugely successful Hybrid Theory (2000) & Meteora(2003) . Almost everyone believed Linkin Park would ditch Electro and go back to Nu Metal.

Album Art

But then, that's not how they do it, do they? To the band, it meant carefully choosing ideas and sounds they had used [and we had loved!]  in their previous work, and reinventing them in a way that agrees with the musical direction they embraced with Minutes To Midnight (2007) .That, combined with the musical genius of Mike Shinoda and awe-inspiring lyrics by Chester, who maintains that all his words were experiences at various points of his life, and you have a Linkin Park album that flies out of stores.

To the untrained ear, this record is once again an Electro-Rock album, something that LP have become comfortable with recently. But listen closely, and you'll hear the heart-wrenching screams, the walls of sound that Brad is famous for producing and probably the most rap on any LP album till date. YES, it is possible to have a perfect mixture. They say there are two types of bands - Linkin Park, & the rest. I agree.

As the title suggests, LIVING THINGS is about... well, people to be specific. Their emotions, their thoughts, their mistakes & their ways of dealing with what life throws at them. The album gets up close and personal with you and takes you on a journey that might make you remember incidents in your life- past or present. And it is this intuitiveness that makes me believe that LP is one of the best of this age and in full connect with their inner consciousness. No wonder they topped the Billboard charts in several countries, including a first in India!

Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU]

LIVING THINGS ----------------- [9/10]

Get LOST IN THE ECHO of a song, that rings in your mind even after it has been ages since you last heard it. I believe this song talks about how things drastically change in time, and how comparing the present with the past is bound to shock you in some way or the other. It's about remembering all the things and people we lost on the way.
The intro builds up pretty well to bring in Brad's rhythm and this song doesn't look back.
*Don't forget to check out one of the first interactive videos in the world for this song at LOST IN THE ECHO. Connect with Facebook, and prepare for jaw-dropping surprises!*

Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU] 

The second track, IN MY REMAINS, is one of my personal favourites on this album. With trademark rhythm guitars in the catchy chorus, this song makes sure that it creates a moment etched in your memory. The  latter part of the song features a sensational build-up with Mike murmuring "Like an army, falling one by one by one..." with military beats in the background by Rob Bourdon.

Next comes the blue-eyed boy and the first single off LIVING THINGS, BURN IT DOWN. Arguably the most peppy track on the album, this song talks about a very strong anti-war sentiment. The adrenaline-pumping chorus , seamlessly followed by probably one of Mike's best rapping till date, takes this song to an energetic close. My favourite.





LIES,GREED,MISERY is an angry track and comes as a full LP package - Rap, Scream, Electro and guitars. It's lyrics contain all that you'd want your enemy to go through.

Make no mistake, Brad Delson has a major role in LIVING THINGS as opposed to A Thousand Suns, where he played a little bit of everything - guitar, keyboard and percussion [When They Come For Me]. I'LL BE GONE begins with a reaffirming chord progression which dies down to allow Chester's verse. The chorus once again has a great hook, and stays with you much after the song has ended. The lyrics portray the thoughts going through a person's mind abandoning his present, leaving everything behind and looking forward to a new start, in a new place.

Brad Delson's processed rhythm guitar creates his signature wall of sound

CASTLE OF GLASS tones it down a bit, and makes you aware about the power of voice and its tone, and the apparent emotions. The Chester-Mike combo [like the Chester-mic combo!] is always a force to reckon with , and this song proves that. The outro to this song oozes class , when vocals, guitars and percussion combine to create a climactic effect.




VICTIMIZED reminds us of Blackout [A Thousand Suns].It features tremendous work on the drums by Rob Bourdon and of course, Chester screaming his lungs out.

ROADS UNTRAVELED is lyrically the most heart-melting song on LIVING THINGS. Vocals accompanied by bells and piano, leads to a soothing vocal solo by Chester, which then gives way to a guitar solo by Brad, and then returns to deliver a punch.
These lines will stay with me forever - "Weep not for roads untraveled.Weep not for sights unseen.May your love never end, and if you need a friend, there's a seat here alongside me..."




SKIN TO BONE takes you on a journey of highs and lows.This song is full of them.Again, the Chester-Mike combo strikes gold with some inventive sounds in the background.

UNTIL IT BREAKS is a quite confusing track. It doesn't have a conventional song structure, but just shifts from one section to another. Starting off with Mike's rap full of reproach, the song moves on to Chester pleading for strength such as that of the Sun. Mike returns to centre stage, followed by an outro of Brad Delson on vocals. Wait a.... did I say Brad Delson and vocals? Yes, this is the biggest surprise LIVING THINGS throws up. Brad is impeccable in his produced, soothing singing.It almost feels like a lullaby.

Picture Courtesy - Linkin Park India Unlimited [LPIU]

TINFOIL is the sole instrumental track on LIVING THINGS. It progresses quite well, and I would actually love to try out playing it on guitar using tremolo picking. It blends in to introduce the next track.

It is difficult to determine where TINFOIL ends and POWERLESS begins. This track is a perfect ballad to end things. A fast-paced 38-minute album like this one needed POWERLESS to cure the listener's breathlessness. Pianos make their presence felt as Chester makes you fall in love with his voice all over again.

L to R - Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington, Rob Bourdon, Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell

A well-deserved 9/10 is what it gets from me. This is the Linkin Park we have loved for a lot of time now.The songs here are rock solid, great to hear to over and over again.Wishing them all the success possible for LIVING THINGS.

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NEWS:
1. India is slowly but surely turning into a destination for the bands we only hoped we could see live once in our lifetime. Metallica came to Bangalore and Delhi. Poets Of The Fall came to 5 Indian cities recently - Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. KoRn visit Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Here's hoping the trend continues!

2.Skillet has gone into the studio with their new lead guitarist, Seth Morrison, and are looking for an early 2013 release of their new album. Let's see what he brings to the table.

Seth Morrison, Skillet

3.Green Day have released their first single off ¡Uno! called 'Oh Love'.Check it out here! Album all set to be released on September 24 , 2012.




Next: A review of ¡Uno! by Green Day, Part Uno/Tres !

Poets Of The Fall's Temple Of Thought (2012)

First of all, a huge THANK YOU for the almost 75000 views that this blog page has got till today. It has been an amazing journey since 2010, looking at fresh releases and also taking trips down the memory lane, revisiting some old blockbuster albums. Appreciate it a lot!

This review has been much delayed, but in a way, I'm happy. I wouldn't have written the same stuff about Temple Of Thought had I done this, say, a month back. This is an album that grows on you, and keeps on growing even when you think that it couldn't any more. These bunch of people have a knack of creating stellar material. It's so amazing that it becomes criminal to say against their music. Poets Of The Fall are true musicians, true geniuses because I'm damn sure that the purity of sound that they bring out can only be accomplished by ones with equal purity in their hearts.

They love their own music, care for it like parents and the end result is nothing but immense love from their fans, for them and their songs.

Album Art

It is said that Temple Of Thought is the completion of the trilogy of Signs Of Life(2005) and Carnival Of Rust(2007). Vocalist Marko Saaresto said in an interview that Signs Of Life depicted birth and growth, Carnival Of Rust was about the loss of illusions, and seeing life how it really is.Temple Of Thought is a natural progression and is about achieving complete consciousness and realisation, the creation of a complete human being.

Marko-A singer par excellence

He also said that the other ongoing trilogy of Revolution Roulette(2008) & Twilight Theater(2010) awaits completion.

About the songs on Temple Of Thought, he says: "They should be heard, really heard, so they can be felt and once you feel them, if you close your eyes, you can see them..."

Let's start putting some thought into this -

TEMPLE OF THOUGHT ------------   **********      [10/10]

Running Out Of Time starts off this album with a bang.Guitars, drums and Marko! A slightly unsynchronised beat in the beginning funnily makes a lot of sense, looking at the song title.The solo brings out pure adrenaline and gives you the feeling that you're actually running out of time! Ends abruptly, as if you've finally run out. Genius.

The title track is next. The most popular track from this album among fans, as an online poll suggests. Temple Of Thought is classic Poets Of The Fall. Brilliant instruments and vocals. This song is about letting the one you love know that she's at the heart of all your thoughts, the Goddess of your Temple Of Thought, in a way. The tremolo solo is awe-inspiring, hits just the right notes that you're feeling within.

Cradled In Love, their first single is next. A wonderful acoustic song flawlessy complemented by Marko's Falsetto. It is said one should play to one's strength and flaunt what you're good at. Marko does just that , and this song, especially the chorus, is a display of his prowess over the Falsetto style of singing.  

Jack up the tempo with Kamikaze Love, a through and through Poets Of The Fall track, bringing back memories of Lift from their debut, Signs Of Life and Diamonds For Tears from Revolution Roulette. This one is my favourite on the album - so energetic, so much fun to listen to.

The high point of The Lie Eternal is its chorus. This is rock - pumping beats, powerful singing and dominant guitars. This song is about falling for a person who never loved you in the first place, and after many charades,  this deception seems like an eternal lie.

Skin tones it down to a slower beat, but a much classier tune. This song is the one that has it all.You may not notice it for a long time, but it has it all. Falsetto, high pitched singing and Reverb-ed drums. The bridge on this song requires special mention - it touches your heart in places it has never been touched before.

A skillful guitar intro to The Distance. Falsetto yet again in the chorus, so beautiful. In fact, I have no more words to describe this gem. It is better felt when you listen to it!

Again, the chorus of Show Me This Life stands out as the high point of this track. Another face-melting solo and an upbeat tempo launch the last chorus of the song. 

Calm your nerves with Morning Tide. Close your eyes and you can almost feel the waves, the coast and the white gulls flying above. Lovely lyrics, gripping chorus all ask the girl of your dreams if she would go with you across the seas, if you asked her to come along. The nuance that this song captures is truly heart-warming, makes you believe in all the good things of life. My other favourite on Temple Of Thought after Kamikaze Love.

The Ballad Of Jeremiah Peacekeeper brings us to one step away from the album's close. As far as I understand, this song centres around God. It tells us to love God, because He needs it, to stay invincible, forever in our hearts. The song says that god is omnipresent, and can do things you can't imagine, but He still needs your love. 

The visual you get when you close your eyes and let the wings of this song brush your hair, is of an old Englishman, sitting on a chair on a quay, smoking his pipe, with a far away look in his wrinkled but wise eyes. He is probably in the twilight of his life, and is peacefully waiting for Death under the grisly,dark clouds.

The Happy Song is the last track on this album.This song doesn't belong to this album at all. It was originally created for the Soundtrack of the newest Alan Wake Game - American Nightmare.But Marko said that this song needed to be the last one on Temple Of Thought, because if you want to feel ready to listen to the album again, this song breaks the shackles that have been placed on your hands by the entrancing songs, one after the other. Overdriven guitars and what I suspect are whammy bar effects dominate this song.

No surprises that I rate this album a Perfect 10 , and highly recommend it to audiophiles, newbies even. How they repeatedly present us with such material is what humbles me, and is what makes me admire them even more.

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NEWS:
* KoRn had announced that they would be coming to India on tour. It has now been confirmed that they will play at Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bengaluru. No doubt I'll be there.Looking forward to seeing Jon Davis rule the mic, Munky assert dominance over the guitar, Fieldy play the bass like a boss, and Ray drum the hell out of his drums!

L to R - Ray Luzier, James 'Munky' Shaffer, Jonathan Davis, Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu

*Yes, LIVING THINGS, by Linkin Park is out! It is their 5th consecutive debut at #1 on the Billboard. More on this, on my next post - a review of LIVING THINGS!

* ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!  - the set of three albums by Green Day will be released in September 2012, November 2012 and January 2012.Each album features one member of the band-  ¡Uno!  will have Billie Joe Armstrong, ¡Dos! will have Mike Dirnt and yes, ¡Tré! will have Tré Cool on the cover!

Billie had previously said that these albums will not be the Punk Rock operas which made American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown such huge hits, but will be a mixture of PowerPop, Garage Rock and Dance.
Mike revealed that majority of the content would focus on sex.
The first single , 'Oh Love' , will be released on July 16.

Here's the artwork-

Next: A review of LIVING THINGS by the immortals, Linkin Park.

Julien-K's We're Here With You (2012)

We get back to reviewing some new music after a long hiatus. Two new albums have come out this year - We're Here With You, which is Julien-K's sophomore effort after the critically acclaimed debut, Death To Analog,  which was hugely successful among hardcore fans. The second one is Temple Of Thought, the fifth studio album by Poets Of The Fall. We look at the former today and save the latter for next time.

Album Art

The excitement to We're Here With You [WHWY] was built up in an amazing way, and the best way possible - connecting with the fans. The band interacted a lot with the faithfuls, kept updating us on the progress of the album and even formed a street team 'Systeme De Street' [SDS]. A private recording session with the SDS and a pre-release album play at Cologne, Germany were the icing on the cake for many European fans who could attend these events. Many bands could learn from these people who make music from the heart and for the sole purpose of sharing it with the millions who love them.

Frank Zummo of Street Drum Corps is Julien-K's new drummer, at least for the forseeable future.Elias shall be missed, but Zummo is a step in the right direction.His drumming is exceptional.

Julien-K have moved away from their Dark Electro-Rock sound and embraced a more upbeat and peppy feel in  WHWY, which they call Indie-Rock with a dash of Electro. While a couple of tracks might remind you of their previous album, on the whole, WHWY is set to gain many more followers without losing the existing bunch. All  tracks trap you in the mood, the mood Julien-K intended you to get into, and make you sway with the rhythm. Everything happens so fast, as one winner follows another that you are left craving for more. The last track stamps authority over the entire album and ends it in an enigmatic manner.

WHWY raced to #2 on the iTunes Electronic charts, which establishes Julien-K as one of the pioneers of Electro music and with experienced stalwarts like Ryan Shuck, Amir Derakh and Anthony 'FU' Valcic, that's hardly surprising.

So, are you here with me on this?

WE'RE HERE WITH YOU ---------   *********o     [9/10]

The title track starts things off. We're Here With You gets you in a trance, with the hi-hat and electro beats dictating your every move.Out of nowhere Amir arrives with his highly distorted guitar riff. Ryan's just getting warmed up.





Surrounded By Cowards surrounds you with a heavy bass intro. Ryan's velvety voice returns to haunt you.It's like a drug. The solid chorus makes this one of my favourite songs on WHWY. It's so hummable and fits nicely with the vibe that has started going on.





Fade into a discotheque-inspired rhythm with Cruel Daze Of Summer. Julien-K take their time to build this song up and you slowly begin to realise what a gem of a song this is.Another stellar chorus and Ryan sizzles.





Next up is their first single Breakfast In Berlin, describing the band's love for wanderlust.The muted guitar riff is beautifully done and sets the tone throughout the song.All in all, a brilliant song. The track reaches a crescendo with "As Tokyo wakes, and the fever rises! "





Palm Springs Reset reaffirms why girls swoon when Ryan sings.The silken smooth vocals are to die for. Ryan says he wrote this song while holidaying with his girlfriend at Palm Springs, and the lyrics give us an insight into the wide array of thoughts,emotions and fears that he is feeling.

With the end of a beautiful song, techno makes an appearance with Colorcast.The song transports you to a dreamy place and the chorus hits just the right note with the visuals that the music induces.

Close Continuance jacks up the tempo with its peppy chorus. Wonderful falsetto by Ryan.The bridge of this song is rich in guitars and reminds you a little bit of Death To Analog.

The darkest song on this album in terms of Electro beats and muted guitars, Nights Of Future Past transports you to a dimly lit alley, with Ryan's voice being one of those night-time sounds that sends shivers down your spine. When the chorus kicks in, it seems that a lightning just struck somewhere, and the flash of light illuminates the various predators stalking you.The rest of the song is just you running away from them, hoping you escape. What an epic song. Kudos!

Flashpoint Riot taking, CONTROL! Something different, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I'll Try Not To Destroy You is an excellent track to end this experience.One can liken it to the credits rolling on the album.Flawless falsetto once again, by Ryan. The drums in the latter half of the song ooze class all over the song.

From L to R: Elias Andra, Ryan Shuck, Fu Valcic, Amir Derakh

WHWY is an outstanding album, one which I'll never outgrow.Looking forward to more revolutionary music from Julien-K.This one is sure to get them plenty of limelight and global exposure.

A well-deserved and rightly earned 9/10 from me for this wonderful listen.I'm here with you no matter what!

My friend Vanessa Silva had previously done a review on WHWY and you can check out her views right here : The Hand That Feeds [Music Blog]. Needless to say, she's a huge Julien-K fan, and a yet-unsigned Music Producer.You can also check out her SoundCloud : Vanessa Silva .Quite a few badass original EDM tracks there.

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NEWS:
* BURN IT DOWN has been released as a single off Linkin Park's new album LIVING THINGS, out this June. A lengthy puzzle was solved by millions of fans worldwide, gearing up to the release of this song on April 16. A definite chartbuster and a current favourite, BURN IT DOWN combines all elements of the band's previous efforts and amalgamates into something which you love dearly.





Next: A lot of thought over Poets Of The Fall's Temple Of Thought

  

KoЯn's Path Of Totality (2011)

Almost two months.This was the mother of all my absences! I just hope I haven't lost the touch which made this Blog cross 50k views.Yes, that is a 5 with four huge zeros.And I have no one to thank but all the readers.Thank you!

Album Art

KoЯn's latest offering 'Path Of Totality' was a bolt from the blue.Though their single 'Get Up!' with Skrillex was out much, much earlier than any news about this album, I didn't expect that they would go ahead with Dubstep+Metal combo for a full-length album.But as they themselves assert in interviews, things just clicked amongst them and a year after their iffy 'KoЯn III : Remember Who You Are' , they put together an album that reeks of innovation and risk, collaborating with several underground EDM [Electronic and Dance Music] artists.

They have really put their brand on the line with this one.For all their claims that they had their own version of dubstep going on during their 'Follow The Leader' days back in 1998, it is but common knowledge that people have a very short memory span.And most aren't even open to the logic that a funky slap bass,and woozy drops qualify as dubstep.

Album art - Follow The Leader (1998)

The album name 'Path Of Totality' is derived from the special circumstances required to the see the Sun during the phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.You have to be at the exact right place and at the right time to witness it.Similarly, the band feels that nothing but pure juxtaposition of situations enabled them to make an album like this, and that this could never be repeated.

Onto the bits of the byte-

THE PATH OF TOTALITY -------  ******oooo   [6/10]

Chaos Lives In Everything [feat. Skrillex] starts off in a tantalising manner but the bridge totally messes it up.Picks up again when the growling starts.In all, a better track than most on this record.

Kill Mercy Within [feat. Noisia] has a nice rhyming flow.I'm experienced enough to let lyrics float by.No one except Jonathan Davis [lead vocalist] knows the true meaning and references for his words!

Jonathan Davis [JD]

My Wall [feat. Excision] begins almost seamlessly from the last track.The atmosphere created just stagnates at this point, neither moving up nor down.

And at this point enters the star that outshines everything that has been heard in 2011. Narcisstic Cannibal [feat. Skrillex and Kill The Noise] is a moment of inspiration. It talks about people getting so steeped in themselves that before they know it, they devour themselves, destroy themselves in their narcissism.





Illuminati [feat. Excision and Downlink] looks pretty forced.The dubstep is OK.The vocals really stretch like chewing gum, the cheap kind.

Burn The Obedient [feat. Noisia] sails in the same boat as Illuminati.You start cupping your face in your palms, waiting for the track to end.

Sanctuary [feat. Downlink] is next.A much easily skipped track.

Let's Go [feat. Noisia] begins with an engaging guitar track.Vocals spoil everything.

Get Up! [feat. Skrillex] brings back the enthusiasm with trademark Skrillex-style wicked bass drops,Munky's 'cathartic-as-ever' guitar, with Fieldy providing the rounded edges of the traditional bass.Ray Luzier keeps the backbone intact on drums while Jon Davis dishes out an impressive performance bettered only by Narcissistic Cannibal. This song is all about people complaining about their problems in life.JD asks them to just shut up, get up and actually do something.





Way Too Far [feat. 12th Planet] returns us to mediocrity.The dubstep is pretty amazing in the latter half of the track, so kudos for that.The haunting 'Oo-ooh' vocals towards the end are good.

The finale, Bleeding Out [feat. Feed Me] starts of with an extremely lovable piano and the standard 4-note progression, which surprisingly doesn't hold for long.I'd have based everything around those 4 notes.A refreshing change in pace is succeeded by arguably the best guitar riff in the album yet.The vocals are passable. The loud guitar riff finds much agreement with me, and the soothing bagpipe solo by Jon Davis is ethereal.Full marks.






The only thing that truly stands out on this record is the stunning genius of Sonny Moore a.k.a. Skrillex.It has not been even two years since his debut album of the EDM/Dubstep genre called 'My Name Is Skrillex' and he's out making crowds convulse to his infectious bass drops.

Sonny Moore a.k.a. Skrillex

He is already being regarded as a pioneer and is synonymous with the genre.Each track that he has worked on, with KoЯn, has turned out great and that's saying something!

Finally, after all the amalgamations, talks of DubMetal and what-not hype, this album garners a 6/10 from me.It's just a bit better than it is boring.Just.

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NEWS:
1.Julien-K's second album 'We're Here With You' opened to immense success, racing to #2 on the iTunes Electronic charts.Look out for more on this next time!


2.Poets Of The Fall have revealed the name of their next album.It's going to be called 'Temple Of Thought'.Seven track names have been let out, one each day.All I can say that the names are pretty deep and enigmatic.Can't wait for a typical Poets masterpiece.March they say.

Temple Of Thought

3.Skillet is expected to come out with a new album this September.

4.Linkin Park have been quietly working on new material too and might just have a record out this year.They'll be playing at the Rock AM Ring, Germany for sure. Here's what Mike Shinoda of LP has to say about the new album. [Zoom In !! ]

Next: A change in sound from SynthRock to Indie-Electro.Does Julien-K still win hearts?