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A² Records - Unleashed

Label: A² Records
Catalog#: SCCD005
Release Date: 23/05/2011
Style: Hardstyle

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So, the time has come to crack my fingers and open my ears for this very exclusive review that Fear.FM has been given the chance to do. If you've already gotten this far, you'd already know that I'm talking about the new and smoking hot "A² Records - Unleashed" album, which was graciously supplied to us by Scantraxx Recordz.

To get an overall feel of the album I took the time to listen to the whole thing, which turned out to be one of the best 75 minutes of my day. Not to get ahead of myself and spoil the fun, but I just can't hold myself in as I excitedly scream out: "This is AWESOME!". There we go, now I can start taking a look at each individual track and get you all hyped up for this monster release.

Wildstylez & Ran-D – Future Shock
Better hold on tight, get a grip and don't panic, dial 911 and call the paramedics... because this is one hell of a track! The first second you pop that CD into your sound system and blast this baby out into the world, you'll be hit with raw sounds, hard kicks and some Ran-D style screeches. That's not the only thing Mr. Ran to the D has taken care of; he's also the lyrical genius behind the vocals. Once that rock hard intro has left us sweating and yearning for more and you're ready for a great melody to give you your dose of goosebumps, hip-hop's most beloved tool "Auto-tune vocoder" rears its head to transform that rough but funky vocal into some nifty pop. It kind of gave me a slight Daft Punk-ish feeling and I was all ready to scream out "Work It, Make It, Do It, Makes Us, Harder" in my best robot voice.

To be frank, this vocal build up to the main synth really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Absolutely brilliant work from both Wildstylez and Ran-D!

Alpha² & Wildstylez – Breathe
Breathe has only just been released and is already being played silly by all Hardstyle DJ's over the world. Well, what can I say about Breathe that most of you wouldn't already know? It's an amazingly funky track filled with cool vocals, great kicks and an awesome synth. The whole vibe gives me the feeling of being at an outdoor festival, just after the sun has sent its last rays of light over the horizon and the stars make their entrance to the sky above you. That feeling, when it's just dark enough to be blinded by the stage lights and then this beauty drops.

Don't forget to breathe when you're knocked off your feet by this piece of awesomeness, because it surely is a true beauty!

E-Force & Luna – Blacklight
I can't help but notice, in all its dark and evil glory, that this track is all about the build-up to the climax. It's not like you can go wild to the mid intro, which most tracks nowadays allow you to do. But it keeps your head bobbing like one of those dolls on your car dashboard. The climax appears with an atmospheric synth that is married with a dark and catchy rhythm, followed by another minute of head bobbing to the outro with some glimpses of the synth included within it. All round decent track, but I can see this one splitting the listeners.

Adaro – Hit You With That Bang Shit
I have to think for a bit, but I think this may be one of Adaro's first solo tracks. Usually it would be himself and Ran-D that would team up to ‘hit us with some bang shit’, and they still do under their alias "Gunz for Hire". But this time, Adaro decided to wave off his good friend Ran-D to drop some solo bang shit on our asses! And what a whopper.

From the very start some gangsta' vocals are poppin' some serious Hardstyle caps in our asses. It's hard and Adaro is going Clint Eastwood on us, blasting round after round of Hardstyle towards our feet, like a gangsta cowboy, forcing us all to dance! He's hit me with a bang! Shit!

Alpha² & Wildstylez - Atrocious
Would you find it atrocious that Alpha² records decided to throw this masterpiece on their shiny, new CD? I sure as hell don't!

This would have to be one of my favorite tracks that I never get sick of. I mean, what an amazing atmosphere. The vocal has always reminded me of Tia Dalma from one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. You know, the black woman with rotten teeth. So, I guess it's cool I get to see her strange face in my imagination every time I hear this tracks' vocals. It gives it all that extra umph. That, in combination with the awesome screech and chillingly beautiful melody really made this track a memorable one for me. It’s great that it's been given a place on this awesome album. 

Alpha² - Let It Go
Well, I mentioned earlier that most tracks nowadays really let you go insane during the mid intro and this would be a great example. All you need is a vocal to build up the suspense and a screech to compliment that insanely hard kick. Get that heart pumping as you literally obliterate the dance floor. Enjoy each moment! The actual climax, which is basically a great, yet straightforward synth, is so powerful! The reason is that the synth compliments the kick to give it as much power as possible. This is one rough track!

Ran-D – Feel My Fire
Fa-fa-fa-fiyah! A great vocal in all its simplicity. You don't need much more to make a catchy track that still remains lethally hard! Just look around you when this track drops the next time you're at a party and watch how everyone is fist pumping like a maniac while lip syncing the words "FA-FA-FA-FIYAH", you might even catch yourself muttering the lyrics when simply walking down the street. You might make a few heads turn your way, with a look of "holy hell, this guy is crazy." sketched on their faces, but who cares right? Ran-D has made an awesome stomper and it's great it has been selected for this album.

E-Force – Remote Control
E-Force has done a brilliant job with this track. Probably one of the most energetic tracks I've heard in a while. Especially the mid intro, yet again. The whirling screech sound builds up so much energy you just can't help but grind your teeth and go along for the most violent ride you've been on in ages! Just when you think you can't hold on much longer, the track slows down to an amazing melody!

Oh E-Force! You've really hit the nail on the head with this beauty!

Ran-D & B-Front – Rebirth (Official Rebirth Anthem 2011)
Rebirth was a party that I unfortunately didn't get a chance to visit. But judging by the video's, pictures and discussions online, it seems like it's a festival that will be remembered. Of course, an epic festival calls for an epic anthem and that's just what Ran-D and B-Front achieved when they slammed their heads together and churned out this whopper!

With catchy vocals and melody in combination with insane kicks, this anthem is a keeper. Rough, but euphoric enough to please anyone that has the privilege to listen to it, without losing its brutality.

Alpha² & B-Front - Liberate
Another brutally rough track from both Alpha² & B-Front, with a great build-up towards a spectacularly hard climax. There's no complex sounds or melody twists, it's just straight forward stomping, pounding and fist pumping as the simple melody leads you on a raw journey to liberate your soul and to get you dancing!

E-Force & Luna – Evolved
Wow, this would have to be the most emotional and beautiful pieces of music on the whole CD up until now, in my opinion of course. You'd probably call me nuts if you heard it for the first time: "But dude! The intro is so raw man!". But just wait until Mr. Action hero announces that man has evolved and the melody comes roaring passed at high velocity. The use of side chaining (making the melody duck as the kick hits) is fantastic in this track. It really adds to the emotional aspect of it, yet still keeps everything nice and rough. The whole vibe starts off nice and dark and then builds up to a nearly uplifting piece of music, but still has enough darkness in it to keep all the raw-heads happy.

Gunz For Hire (a.k.a. Ran-D & Adaro) – Gangsters Don’t Dance
I have to be honest, when I first heard this track I had to smile. The vocal is brilliant. I mean, come on. “Gangsters don't dance... they boogie?” I can just imagine the meanest gangster in a white and very expensive suit with the largest afro ever doing the snorkel dance like an 80's disco lover! But just when you think the mob has gone all soft, out come the big guns to blow you to hell and back! A nice little reminder not to mess with these gangsters! "What the fuck you lookin' at, punk!"

I really love this track. I've heard it live many times and it always gets me fist pumping, it isn't surprising that my right arm is bulging!

Alpha² - Unleashed (Psyko Punkz Remix)
When I first played through the album and heard this track, I was rubbing my hairy chin wondering to myself, "Hmm, I'm sure I've heard this before". I didn't instantly make the connection to the original "Unleashed" which means one thing. The Psyko Punkz did a very good job remixing the original. You know what they say, "Keep your hands off the original, because they're unremixable". I guess we can put that little myth aside. The Psyko Punkz have used many elements of the original and you'll surely hear the similarities, but it still sounds awesomely different. A nice sturdy kick to top it all off!

Noisecontrollers – Yellow Minute (Alpha² Remix)
Ah yes, Yellow minute. Probably also one of my favorite Noisecontrollers tracks. Although this remix has been out for quite some time already, I still really enjoy listening to it. Alpha² have taken the original and really morphed it into their own style. What I really like is when that "yeah" vocal is combined with the kick. It kind of makes the kick sound a lot punchier. The actual melody hasn't really changed. Maybe it was a wise choice, because the original was pretty awesome already. As a whole, Alpha² have really turned this track into a happy colour. It has created some of the most incredible atmospherically fueled moments I have ever seen at parties.

Alpha² - Kick Back
This track gives me a feeling of one produced a few years back would give me. Probably because of the synth used. Like the previous Alpha² solo on this CD, it's straightforward action all the way through. No time for a rest when this baby drops. Forget making your way to the bar for a beer, nope! Just drop everything and go nuts. You can go to the bar when the next track drops, if it isn't a slammer like this.

E-Force – Brutality
Oh lord. E-Force. Are you at it again? Didn't I just review one of your tracks like... 5 times already? This guy clearly hasn't been sitting on his ass doing nothing, because apparently he's been in the studio churning out stomper after stomper. The first thing I noticed when this slammed through my speakers is that the kick is nice and deep. You could even say the title of the track really fits the atmosphere that E-Force has attempted to create. It’s pure ‘Brutality’ all the way through. I won't even try to put more words into this mini review, as you'll need to listen for yourself. It's nice and raw. Straight on fist pumping (pretty much like every single track on this album!) and you're in for a sweat!

Zatox & Ran-D – Indoctrination
Now, Indoctrination has only very recently been released and it has done so well on the dancefloors, and I don't blame it for doing so well. Zatox & Ran-D could probably be two of my favorite artists, and I already know that Zatox would most probably be the reincarnation of Midas (you know, the guy who could turn anything into Gold). Put these guys in the studio together and they're almost certain to emerge all pale from the darkness, holding a shiny new piece of awesomeness in their hands. And that's just what Indoctrination is. Cool, rough vocals. Nice screechy sounds and a great Zatoxesque kick. No need for beautiful and chilling melodies, nah-uh, just rock hard beats!

Ran-D & Alpha² - The New Shit
So, are you re-re-ready for the new shit? Although the intro and first half of the mid intro don't exactly do anything for me, the second half of the mid intro really blows my mind. Vocals building up to a huge kick, which is beautifully complimented with a great "umph" sound. Ah yes, time to get my fists out again!

Like most of the tracks on this album, The New Shit is all about blasting beat after beat at full throttle, as hard and as lethal as possible into the audience. I don't think I can call this work of art "The New Shit", because it isn't exactly new. But that doesn't take away the fact that it's still an amazing track.

Zany & Ran-D feat. Nikkita – Son Of Torture
So here we have two great talents, Zany & Ran-D accompanied by a beautiful vocalist, whose voice you may have already heard numerous times in many Hardstyle tracks. Got to say though, Nikkita really sounds like one devilish and hard to handle woman. I don't think I'd want to be on the wrong side of her when she screams those satanic vocals in my face! I'd probably go and weep like a little innocent dog in a dark corner, with my tail between my legs. So, you probably already noticed that I really love the vocals. They're nice and rough and really take this track to a whole new level. It takes "Son of Torture" from being a Raw track to something barely describable; yet still utterly fantastic.

Adaro – Haunter Of The Dark
Oh God! What an absolutely amazing track to close this equally amazing album with. For one last time, we're hit with another dark and deathly vocal. Then, in comes the screech sound hand in hand with that beast of a kick sneaking up behind us through the darkness. If any of you have watched the movie Silent Hill? Then, I can honestly say this track gives me the exact same feeling that movie gave me. It wasn't exactly scary, but the psychological fears running through my mind really took everything to another level. That huge hooded beast with an inhumanly large sledgehammer, slowly walking towards you, his stare burning into your very soul. It's unstoppable and you know it, yet you have nowhere to run. You're literally looking death in the face, you can see it approaching as flashes of your life roll by. You have to surrender.

That's probably exactly what Adaro has done with this one. This is an absolutely brutal track and if I have to be very honest, probably the most brutal track on this album. I could even go as far as to say that it's one of the most brutal tracks I've heard in a very long time. Stunning work!

Summary
Well, as my speakers slowly finish rattling after 75 minutes of being brutalized and tortured by this CD, I sit back in complete awe. I expected a lot from this album. Maybe something you shouldn't do too often. But I'm happy to say it has even surpassed all my expectations. This is an absolutely amazing CD. Each and every track, although in the same genre with nothing too different that would make a certain track stand out, is a pure masterpiece. I literally have nothing bad to say about "Unleashed".

This is definitely an album for your collection. Especially if you’re very Raw-minded. But even if you're into the melodic Hardstyle, this is still something worth checking out. I have a distinct feeling that "Unleashed" will be a CD that won't be forgotten too quickly

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More Info & Previews
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Fear.FM Release Database - A2 Records