Because I was going to keep putting this off....
01. Enter the Killing
02. under the chaos
03. Psycho Culture
04. Meranchoria
05. CHILDREN OF DESPAIR
06. Cold Play
Enter the Killing is another one of those lame, electronic openings that starts out ominous but overstays it's welcome ten seconds in. Skip it and get right into under the chaos.
under the chaos is hard and strong and deserves a listen or two, but it comes off to me as just "another generic rocker put together using the most stereotypical riffs you can find". There's nothing outstanding about this song at all, and sounds like a well-played mish-mash of so many different types of songs. I'm sure anyone that's listened to rock for at least a month will sense that this song sounds familiar in that "I-can't-place-my-finger-on-it" way. I would call this a borderline track because it's just not as interesting as some of the other stuff here. For an album called The Trend Killer, it didn't go against the railing at all.
And let's be on our way to Psycho Culture, one of my favorite Sadie tracks because I get this whole "medical vibe" and "I'm gonna inject you with poison and make you go crazy" feeling in the guitars. The beginning riff will either entice you or annoy you and that's going to be the breaking factor hear. Overall the song is a solid one, and a bit different from a lot of the rock I hear. When I throw in there that I listen to VK just to remind you in case you forgot, you can take my word for it when I say it all sounds the same. Mao's English could use some work but his growling here is pretty good. It's not as heavy as the ones on Undead13+2, but it fits in better somehow because it's got that piercing effect I love. It's definitely recommended and it's the signaling of the mini starting to turn around.
Meranchoria continues in the vein of slightly different sounds, and shows some thought and creativity on the part of the members. The opening riff sounds like a haunted riff and you expect it to plunge into the depths of heaviness like approximately 80% of tracks do, but it doesn't. All throughout it keeps that unsettling feeling of "IDFK" and the strumming of the bass under it, while simple, signals a sort of countdown to something epic. I like the way the song slows down when you expect it to speed up or get heavy and the portions into the chorus (especially one with the sigh) are among the most creative ways I've seen the bridge gapped. However, I DO think Sadie dropped the ball on the exit and that's one of the most "uncreative" ways I've seen such a song end. For fans of fade-outs, this probably won't bother you but the way the song switches pace and then just ends on a fade out is unsatisfying.
CHILDREN OF DESPAIR storms in with strong bass and two riffing guitars and takes off until Mao roars like he's dying into the microphone. The bass isn't situated as firmly in this one, the English is a bit messier than the remake (not like it makes a difference - still can't understand most of what he says if you aren't an expert at Japlish) and the whispers aren't as clear but it's still there in all it's bassy glory. One part I do like better over the remake is the portion with the one guitar with the distortion. It's surely not revolutionary, but I like it's inclusion. It's surely one of the better songs here but the very end nags me, because Mao's voice is does that reverb thing. It was completely unneeded.
And last but not least there's Cold Play, which starts off slow unlike every other song here and makes you think it's another stereotypical "end of mini ballad that's bland and makes me want to pierce my eardrums". When the guitars come in for a slow, crunching 8 measures you quickly realize it's one of those songs and wait for the chorus to come in reluctant agony, hoping it doesn't suck. And when it does come, you realize it's not going to be one of those passive, I'm so poetic ones. Mao's screams suddenly erupt out of nowhere and they're artfully placed amidst babbling and singing and muttering. The end of the song fades out but the bass that comes in doesn't time it right and feels all wrong. Most of the songs have had a problem ending right in my opinion thus far so, yes, Cold Play was indeed an interesting ride. Was it the best way to end the mini? No, but none of the other tracks here could have done it any better.
I don't think all the Sadie fans that are lamenting the old Sadie are butthurt faggots that only like bands when they're the only ones that know them. There's definitely something here hidden in the indies production values that suggest real talent and a want to make some music, but this album doesn't do it for me as much as Undead13+2. I believe it's because half of these tracks were remade and although I didn't compare them to the remakes here I do find them all to be superior to these versions. The three they didn't touch are fine, but one doesn't deserve to be remade and I've heard better songs than the other two so....I forgot where I was going with this. Oh, yes, right. The Trend Killer beckons a listen, and I demand you go download it (remember the "limited quantities" I was talking about with NoGoD? It applies here as well) and give Sadie a spin back when we didn't have to fear a Kagerou.
Recommended:
Cold Play
Meranchoria
The Remakes on Undead13+2
Score: 71%
under the chaos is hard and strong and deserves a listen or two, but it comes off to me as just "another generic rocker put together using the most stereotypical riffs you can find". There's nothing outstanding about this song at all, and sounds like a well-played mish-mash of so many different types of songs. I'm sure anyone that's listened to rock for at least a month will sense that this song sounds familiar in that "I-can't-place-my-finger-on-it" way. I would call this a borderline track because it's just not as interesting as some of the other stuff here. For an album called The Trend Killer, it didn't go against the railing at all.
And let's be on our way to Psycho Culture, one of my favorite Sadie tracks because I get this whole "medical vibe" and "I'm gonna inject you with poison and make you go crazy" feeling in the guitars. The beginning riff will either entice you or annoy you and that's going to be the breaking factor hear. Overall the song is a solid one, and a bit different from a lot of the rock I hear. When I throw in there that I listen to VK just to remind you in case you forgot, you can take my word for it when I say it all sounds the same. Mao's English could use some work but his growling here is pretty good. It's not as heavy as the ones on Undead13+2, but it fits in better somehow because it's got that piercing effect I love. It's definitely recommended and it's the signaling of the mini starting to turn around.
Meranchoria continues in the vein of slightly different sounds, and shows some thought and creativity on the part of the members. The opening riff sounds like a haunted riff and you expect it to plunge into the depths of heaviness like approximately 80% of tracks do, but it doesn't. All throughout it keeps that unsettling feeling of "IDFK" and the strumming of the bass under it, while simple, signals a sort of countdown to something epic. I like the way the song slows down when you expect it to speed up or get heavy and the portions into the chorus (especially one with the sigh) are among the most creative ways I've seen the bridge gapped. However, I DO think Sadie dropped the ball on the exit and that's one of the most "uncreative" ways I've seen such a song end. For fans of fade-outs, this probably won't bother you but the way the song switches pace and then just ends on a fade out is unsatisfying.
CHILDREN OF DESPAIR storms in with strong bass and two riffing guitars and takes off until Mao roars like he's dying into the microphone. The bass isn't situated as firmly in this one, the English is a bit messier than the remake (not like it makes a difference - still can't understand most of what he says if you aren't an expert at Japlish) and the whispers aren't as clear but it's still there in all it's bassy glory. One part I do like better over the remake is the portion with the one guitar with the distortion. It's surely not revolutionary, but I like it's inclusion. It's surely one of the better songs here but the very end nags me, because Mao's voice is does that reverb thing. It was completely unneeded.
And last but not least there's Cold Play, which starts off slow unlike every other song here and makes you think it's another stereotypical "end of mini ballad that's bland and makes me want to pierce my eardrums". When the guitars come in for a slow, crunching 8 measures you quickly realize it's one of those songs and wait for the chorus to come in reluctant agony, hoping it doesn't suck. And when it does come, you realize it's not going to be one of those passive, I'm so poetic ones. Mao's screams suddenly erupt out of nowhere and they're artfully placed amidst babbling and singing and muttering. The end of the song fades out but the bass that comes in doesn't time it right and feels all wrong. Most of the songs have had a problem ending right in my opinion thus far so, yes, Cold Play was indeed an interesting ride. Was it the best way to end the mini? No, but none of the other tracks here could have done it any better.
I don't think all the Sadie fans that are lamenting the old Sadie are butthurt faggots that only like bands when they're the only ones that know them. There's definitely something here hidden in the indies production values that suggest real talent and a want to make some music, but this album doesn't do it for me as much as Undead13+2. I believe it's because half of these tracks were remade and although I didn't compare them to the remakes here I do find them all to be superior to these versions. The three they didn't touch are fine, but one doesn't deserve to be remade and I've heard better songs than the other two so....I forgot where I was going with this. Oh, yes, right. The Trend Killer beckons a listen, and I demand you go download it (remember the "limited quantities" I was talking about with NoGoD? It applies here as well) and give Sadie a spin back when we didn't have to fear a Kagerou.
Recommended:
Cold Play
Meranchoria
The Remakes on Undead13+2
Score: 71%
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