Videoclip of the Month!!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Anime Fire - On The Wings Of Hope

Anime Fire - On Wings Of Hope

On The Wings Of Hope is Anime Fire’s second studio release. This EP was released in 2009 by Skull and Bones Records. This EP is of the Metalcore genre and also has an experimental twist to it. This is Anime Fire’s second release and it is easy to tell how much they have improved from their first release Where The Wolves Fear To Tread, I bet anyone that owns their first release was not expecting anything like this to be following it

Although this marked as a Metalcore release, it can also be counted as Experimental because they have an unorthodox style. They have really pulled out all the stops  for this release to try and make up for their last release. It is easy to tell that they have experimented and tested the limits of Metalcore in terms of how much you can change it and still have Metalcore. They have included many different elements to this and the most obvious one is the incorporation of electronic music in most of the tracks. Its not the dance style but the type where it sounds like a drum solo. This is very weird for a Metalcore band to include this kind of thing, especially when they combine it with an I Killed The Prom Queen style of music.

Also they have made changes with their vocals. They also have vocals similar to I Killed the Prom Queen except that screams are very rare across the release, instead they rather use growls. Their growls are special though because they sound almost exactly like Suicide Silence’s growls. Anyone who has heard their growls know that the vocalist has one of the deepest growls in Metal Music. I a combination of awesome Metalcore riffs and Growls like this creates some memorable Metalcore pieces, which ultimately leady to success in the music industry. They also have included some ambient sounds in their music as well to try and create some kind of atmosphere.

Although like to experiment with their music, they still have some strong Metalcore elements in there as well. They have really good melodies that have an uplifting feeling when listeners hear them. Also the distortion of the guitars sound excellent and the way they play fits their style like a glove. Also this EP has a mix of fast paced and slow paced music, also unlike other bands they try and fit both into a single track. Also the other thing that they have kept from Metalcore are the breakdowns. They have some excellent breakdowns in their tracks, and all really heavy and they have put a lot of thought in making those rather than unorganised, hollow breakdowns. Also they like to build up tension in their music and they usually do this at the start of their songs and then jump into their main melodies. Their music is also nice and tight and can gain some serious speed at times. The drummer also plays well in sync with the rest of the members and has a double kick of decent speed. Also their bass drum is not drowned out and is clear and easy to hear. At times they distort the vocals a lot and added a little static sound to its sound. 

Basically all the tracks have a different sound to them, for an EP with only 4 tracks it has a fairly wide variety of music to choose from. The opening track On The Wings Of Hope is a great Metalcore track. It has the best melody out of all the tracks in the EP and is emotional and up lifting aswell. Not only that but it is not one of those songs that goes at only 2mph to be emotional, it has decent speed to it as well.  Also musically it sounds excellent and I would say that it is one of the best Metalcore pieces I have heard. Lyrically that track is fairly well done and doesn’t wreck the mood of the track either which is a plus. On Wings Of Hope is a great song to listen to if you ever feel like life if getting the better of you due to its uplifting character. Although the opening track is basically pure Metalcore, when Apophis (Destroyer Of Worlds) starts. This is when things start getting weird, this track has a very long pause in it where all you hear is some kind of techno drumming solo and electronic atmospheric effects. This actually lasts a fairly long time and at the end there is a part where they place an ambient sound to give it some extra atmosphere as well.

Also it features the heaviest breakdowns in the EP. This is when you start to get the true feeling of this band and how they like to incorporate different style of music into their sound to try and make it better. The next track is titled Sea Of Serpents, this is probably the most twisted song in the EP. From the start its weird and they have the electronic drum solo at the start and this time it lasts longer as well. To make thing even more different, there is a part where they have fuzzed out all of the instruments and you can only hear the vocals, but it does have a decent breakdown in it. Also this is one of the more Darker sounding tracks in the EP. The last track Mother Of A Storm is the track that completes the EP, it has a nice and steady pace that isn’t too slow or too fast. It features those extremely deep Suicide Silence like vocals and more of the electronic drum solo. Also the chorus has a very uplifting feeling to it and it has a good vibe to it. This EP has very good recording quality and despite it only having 4 tracks its overall running time is acceptable. 

Although this band has put a lot of though and creativity in experimenting with Metalcore to try and make it better. There are a few major problems with this EP. The first and most obvious one is those electronic drum solos that they use. They have over used them way too much throughout EP and it gets annoying. Not only do they sound bad but they are put in the worst spots imaginable and they sometimes takes up huge chunks of songs that are otherwise wasted by them. They interrupt the pattern as well and does not flow well with their style of music. I this was a really bad idea because it has a major affect. Also their transitions aren’t really smooth as well, they are very abrupt and they are not subtle enough. Also there seems to be a lot of starting and stopping probably due to the bad transitions that they make.

As I mentioned before they have some good melodies but unfortunately they have counteracted this with really bad disorganised riffs. There aren’t any real rules to Metalcore but there shouldn’t be a great deal of disorganisation. Also if is very difficult for people to get used to their style because it is so different from your average Joe Metalcore. They have tried to change it a little too much and their creativity has overall killed them in the sense that it will only target such a small audience. Also the vocals may sound a little out of place at times and the style they use doesn’t seem to be that useful when trying to sing fast. I think it’s suppose to be for slow style of music. Unfortunately this has had a major affect on the whole EP.

Overall this isn’t a bad album, it may not be perfect though. They have shown some creativity in their style of music which is always good to hear from a new band which tries to bring something new to the table. The only downside is that thay didn’t really nail it in the end and their attempt to be creative created problems on how the album flows and sounds. Also they really over use that electronic drum solo, which is probably the worst mistake they have made. They are in the worst possible places and they take up a huge amount of time, time that could have been spent to fill up those gaps. On the plus side though On Wings Of Hope is a pure Metalcore track that would get a 20/20, also the track Apophis (Destroyer Of Worlds) has a very good breakdown in it as well. Anime Fire’s style may be a required taste but if you do end up liking their sound, this EP has something for everyone; emotion,  great melodies and heavy breakdowns just to name a few. This can be classed as Experimental Metalcore and does take patience to get into. I would recommend this EP to anyone who likes Metalcore in general and also to those who like Experimental and Avant-garde metal as well. I would also like to recommend the tracks On Wings Of Hope for anyone who is looking to find their new favourite Metalcore song and the track Apophis (Destroyer Of Worlds) for anyone who like to be a bit adventurous with their music or like Experimental stuff. Overall this On Wings Of Hope is not a bad release and it has greatly improved from their debut release. There are a few improvements that can be made, but with a little bit of trial and error they will eventually make it and when they do, they will be big. I give this a 16/20.


No comments:

Post a Comment

free counters
Powered By Blogger