Aural Vampire – Freeeeze!! May 19, 2009

Track Listing

1. Freeeeze!!

1. Freeeeze!!

Do you guys remember this track from their first album?  I’m pretty sure you do.  Anyways Freeeeze!! is still the dark electro tune that’s still awesome, though the took out some of the good qualities that were in the original like the piano use.  They did add an introduction to the song and so other random sounds which is pretty cool.  There interlude is pretty freaky with the synth melody and I loved it .  I’ll just say they are both equally good.

 

 

Even though this is considered a digital single, I love that Aural Vampire is rearranging a few of their tracks when they were indies and mostly they’ve been ending up quite good.  Freeeeze!! even though it’s lost a little bit of the originality, is still an awesome dark electro track from AV.

Aural Vampire – Aural Vampire EP I, II, III April 26, 2009

Track Listing

EP 1

1. Shounan Zoku -Cannibal Coast-
2. Darkwave Surfer
3. Transcrypt
4. Hot Blood Workout
5. V. Madonna Schizoid

EP 2

1. Innsmouth
2. 69 Balloons
3. Economical Animal Superstar

EP 3

1. Border of the Dead

1. Shounan Zoku – Cannibal Coast-

The first EP begins with a new track of theirs.  I’m so used to the music that they were bringing out that this isn’t very different except they aren’t using horror films to fuel the songs.  EXO-CHIKA sounds pretty good with her voice and RAVEMAN’s synth usage has definitly gotten better.  I just wish the song wasn’t so short….This could’ve been an amazing rave song.

2. Darkwave Surfer

Coming from their last release, “DEATH FOLDER”, Darkwave Surfer has gotten a bit of a change since the single.  First off the beginning is revamped around and then EXO-CHIKA gets the echo treatment which the synths don’t sound as raw as they did back on the single either.  I’m not sure if I like the new version as much as I enjoyed the older version.  It still has the crazy synth melody though so iono…

3. Transcrypt

Transcrypt to me has a more band sound from the start with a guitar melody playing with loud drums.  To say this is the most organic song of the EP isn’t much because there’s still a lot of synths present.  I’m also noticing that EXO-CHIKA is singing at a better tone than she was back on “Vampire Ecstasy”.  I’m not sure, but this song doesn’t do anything for me.

4. Hot Blood Workout

The same problem resides in our track as well.  It oddly sounds a little bit too empty at the start with just EXO-CHIKA and synths keeping in rhythm with a boom-chick drum.  What really surprised was the squeaky synth that played a melody by itself which made me laugh hard.  Other than that there’s other tracks.

5. V. Madonna Schizoid

Ending off the first EP, V. Madonna Schizoid sounds like it’d be really interesting and it actually is.  EXO-CHIKA is singing pretty damn fast and then the time signature changes throwing me off into the chorus where it consists of a clapping beat.  I don’t know, but this felt very empty, even moreso than “Hot Blood Workout”…It even ends in a poor way not really leaving much of an impression.

EP 2

1. Innsmouth

Our 2nd EP begins once again with an upbeat sound which made me happy right from the start.  Innsmouth to me sound like 16-bit with RAVEMAN working behind the synths.  I don’t know why, but this song feels energetic and EXO-CHIKA’s hectic and repetitive lyrics fit the mood of the song just right.

2. 69 Balloons

Other than the suggestive title.  69 Balloons is probably the most energetic song of the three EP’s because it’s basically trance.  EXO-CHIKA sees this as a pretty good opportunity to really give the song a darkness boost and her anguish shines in this track.  It’s definitly my favorite off of the 3.  GREAT SONG!

3. Economical Animal Superstar

Is it bad that I can’t remember when it was on “DEATH FOLDER”?  I know that they revamped it like “Darkwave Surfer”, but somehow I feel this is too slow, but melodically is better.  I’m pretty sure the addition of bongos was making the song stand out and it did, but I’m just still not feeling this song as much.

EP 3

1. Border of the Dead

The final EP contained a lone track.  Border of the Dead should’ve been put on the second because representing as the lone track was a very poor plan.  The song is good because it has a sense of direction and sounds almost New Wave-ish.  Good song, but doesn’t deserve to be by itself.

 

 

The 3 EP’s (that all came out different times) all had their ups and downs.  Some of the tracks are neatly created and the tracks that got retouched got it good too.  Though, releasing them seperatly was a very poor plan on avex’s account and the last was just unneeded.  Maybe they should’ve just released all these songs as an album perhaps?

Aural Vampire – Vampire Ecstasy April 7, 2009

Track Listing

1. opening
2. Vampire Ecstasy
3. Freeeeze!!
4. Terror Vixen
5. Hana no Sakigake
6. THE REPOMAN
7. Preservative Woman
8. Crimson Tyrant
9. S.O.B
10. Disco King
11. Banburo Koubou
12. Murealism
13. PNFPN

1. opening

Haha, the opening to this album is so freaky with some guy speaking in a creepy kind of way.  No idea what he’s saying, but I can wonder right?  A minute in the song, the song kind of starts up with a quite psychotic mish-mash of voices and a heavy beat.  Strange, but cool nonetheless. At the 2 minute mark, more music comes in to round out the opening.  Interesting opening.  Sweet that it ends with the guy announcing the group.

2. Vampire Ecstasy

Our first song from the album definitly shows off the darkwave style AV is producing and surely it’s a pretty creepy track.  Now since I’ve heard the remix before the main track, I was taken aback with the synth sound and how EXO-CHIKA was singing the track.  I have to say the the time trip-ups make the song more cooler than the remix IMO.  Definitly a great vocal track.

3. Freeeze!!

Just like the last track, I hear some snippets of horror films and that gives AV a pretty interesting way to take their songs.  It’s kind of like the last track with the dark synths and EXO-CHIKA’s cold vocals.  In some way I like how she does it, but I want her to get emotional, but what gave the song life is how the piano was included in a few parts. 

4. Terror Vixen

Terror Vixen is actually the shortest track off the album, and yet EXO-CHIKA is also singing but with some guy singing like opera.  It’s a pretty dark song that sounds perfect in a Mortal Kombat film.  I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be longer, but I was like (Damn…this ended too soon). 

5. Hana no Sakigake

Hana no Sakigake takes thing at a slower pace, sadly the song sounds messy and doesn’t quite match up to itself much.  I mean there’s the heavy beat and the erratic piano chords mixed with EXO-CHIKA’s unstable vocals.  For being a ballad of sorts, this was pretty terrible.

6. THE REPOMAN

Luckily, THE REPOMAN fixes everything.  It brought the dance fever back and included another movie theme in the song.  EXO-CHIKA’s hectic singing totally fit with the mood of the song and the musical arrangement is just amazing IMO.  RAVEMAN totally pulled a great song out of his hat.  Amazing track.

7. Preservative Woman

Preservative Woman has the most obvious Asian influence with all the Japanese strings and synth melodies.  Sadly, it feels a little bit empty at the start because it was just the synths backing up the song and nothing else.  This is also the first time I hear EXO-CHIKA under auto-tune which sounds pretty cool and yet too obvious for the song.  Iono, I just didn’t connect to it.

8. Crimson Tyrant

Crimson Tyrant is possibly the most demonic song of the album.  The creepy voice scares the shit outta me.  Then a beat comes in and the voice kinda just goes with it for a while.  Then this heavily vocodered and robotic voice just pops in, and then becomes something else.  Strange and long instrumental, but really creepy.

9. S.O.B

Our sort of next interlude begins with a creepy orgel melody.  As time goes by, synths and a pipe organ come in with EXO-CHIKA singing in her cold tone again.  It’s weird because the music is like all jungle-like and interesting.  For being so short, this was a nice new sound to the album that I liked.

10. Disco King

The heavy darkwave makes a reappearance here and once again shows a great overall sound.  I’ve actually grown fond of EXO-CHIKA here because she’s actually showing some emotion, but she’s covered up by the vocoder.  Pretty sad revelation right?  In some farfetched way, this does sound like a disco song.  Sweet.

11. Banburo Koubou

I love the drum opening into this trance track of theirs.  Some of it sounds really amazing, but once again the music just overrides the vocals a bit too much.  There’s just so much activity here and it might be too hectic for some people, but I actually quite like it.  Though the break in the song was just terrible…

12. Murealism

Murealism is probably the fastest song on the album.  Add on the darker synths and the cool male voice was an interesting addition and sounded pretty cool by my standards.  It might come as weird, that there’s a rapper in a darkwave track, but it actually worked this time around.  EXO-CHIKA continues to be overwhelmed by the volume of the music…sad huh?

13. PNFPN

Why is the final track the oddest of the album?  PNFPN is totally different with it’s happy synth sound.  It’s like so upbeat and cheery that it’s quite strange.  I do love the fact I can hear EXO-CHIKA sing finally and she sounds a bit happy as well…this is just a random track amongst the darker tracks on the album.  It’s good, but definitly a WTF track.  Though…as I get into the track…it just goes everywhere and skips and then “opening” somehow reappears out of random and it’s like weird and messy and such…and it ends with the guy repeating ~oto~ and then pouring a drink…the end

Tracks Recommended

• THE REPOMAN
• Vampire Ecstasy
• Murealism
• Terror Vixen
• PNFPN

Aural Vampire’s debut album is definitly for the hardcore trance fans out there.  All of the songs were danceable, except “Hana no Sakigake” and brought the darker side of trance in an awesome way.  In some songs I wish they didn’t hide EXO-CHIKA behind the music, but the songs she did stand out from were amazing with her chilly vocals.  Still a great album nonetheless.

Aural Vampire – DEATH FOLDER January 8, 2009

Track Listing

1. Economical Animal Superstar
2. Darkwave Surfer
3. Vampire Ecstasy (Kohki Destruct System Remix)

1. Economical Animal Superstar

You know what?  I have never been introduced in this style of music, Industrial Dance xD.  Economical Animal Superstar would be a great start with it’s quite dark synth melody and EXO-CHIKA’s filtered vocals.  She really does sound amazingly dark for a female singer.  I got to say though, this is one freaky song and I love every minute of it.

2. Darkwave Surfer

Continuing on we have this almost trance-styled track, Darkwave Surfer.  You still have the industrial sound and EXO-CHIKA is more filtered in this track, which makes it hard to hear what she’s saying sometimes.  Luckily, the music is what basically saves the song from being too mindless. 

3. Vampire Ecstasy (Kohki Destruct System Remix)

Alright, so the single came after the album which is OK, and I haven’t heard the original yet, but this version does sound different against the other two tracks on the single.  Not only is their more sound, it’s pretty much a rock track.  I kind of like the style, but I’m just used to their synth stuff basically.

 

 

Aural Vampire debut single is pretty cool and does represent the group’s overall sound.  The Vampire Ecstasy remix was a cool thing to add on.  Still this single is pretty high on my listened to list.