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Endymion - THREE

We've been given the honor of reviewing Endymion’s new Album “Three”. The album features solo tracks of course but also co-ops with the best Hardcore artists out there and three Remixes by Evil Activities, Placid K and Ophidian.

Buy: http://www.junodownload.com/products/three/1769674-02/
Previews: http://www.youtube.com/user/endymionmusic#p/c/7E825114A59844D2 

Time to tell you a bit more about the tracks.

The album starts with No More, a track with Warren Morris. The intro isn’t what I expected, it starts with a calm piano part and some singing, and I was surprised it would start like this but it’s actually a superb way of beginning with the album. After the singing it’s time to go loose, a typical Endymion kick is what will be slamming through the speakers. By using that typical kick they immediately let you know that the album will be a combination of old sounds and new sounds, they try to make something new and innovative but still have that Endymion feeling in it. The break starts with a singing part again but immediately the climax kicks in, a pretty simple but cool melody goes well together with the singing that comes back after a while, really smooth track and perfect to kick off the album with.

Second track is a co-op with Nosferatu. They have already produced some co-ops in the past and they proven that when they bundle their forces that they’re able to make top quality tracks that will blow you away. Face II Face is no different. Although I expected the kicks to be a bit harder, they still do their job as my entire room is shivering cause of the low frequency. I love the sounds they use in their midintro, it already gives you the feeling that a nice melody is coming up after the break.

If you had that feeling then you were absolutely right. The break starts with a sort of violin-ish sound and a female voice. Then it’s time to ‘put em up’ as the vocal says. The melody kicks in, a sweet mainstream melody. I can guarantee you that you’ll have goosebumps over your entire body when you give it a listen, it has so much energy and a great vibe that you want the climax to kick in as soon as possible.

The climax has the same kicks which go together well with the melody. With this track they prove again that everything that comes out of their studio is insanely well produced. This is one of the best tracks of the album for me.

Third track is Broken a co-op between no other than Evil Activities and E-Life. Most of you already know this track as it has been played a lot and it has already been released. They even made a nice clip for it, so you should definitely check that out as well. The thing that surprised me the most about this track is the break. Normally I’m not a big fan of long breaks with pianos and singing, but this track is different. I don’t know why, but this is one of the best breaks I’ve heard in a while, the theme is pretty intriguing.  The melody fills in all expectations when you hear Evil Activities and Endymion. They’ve made some great co-ops already in the past like ‘To Claim The Future’ and ‘Vengeance’. The kicks are very nice as well, it’s not that distorted but it has a great deep punch, which will leave you Broken if you can’t handle it.

Fourth track is Grow, a track produced together with Ollie. First thing that comes to my mind when the kicks come in is: “Wow.” They are absolutely insane. Loads of distortion on it and a fat punch make these kicks sick. My bottle of water didn’t really like them I think as it fell off my desk cause of the insane bass, but I must say I’m very impressed.

To me the kicks are the most important in every single track as they make it or break it. If a track starts like this, it can only get better and better. This track ‘Grows’ into a real gem. The break isn’t too long which I approve and it also has a very nice melody which you can hear building up through the break. Then the kicks come back and blow you away during the climax. Big thumbs up for Endymion for this track as I’m blown away by it.

Fifth track is the first remix on this album and it’s a remix by the legendary Ophidian. This man is one of a few in the hardcore scene who is able to make hard as hell track but still give it an artistic touch, a bit heavenly feeling. He’s known for his own unique style and that’s what makes him so interesting. He remixed Anger. The track starts pretty basic with some vocals and a short buildup until the intro kicks in. The kicks are typical Ophidian material, hard as hell, with some industrial sounds added to it.

Now the break comes in and this is why we all love Ophidian. He has the skills to make a break sound so emotional, he turns breaks into pure art and then he turns back to what we’re used from him, the hard kicks come back in and support the smooth sounds you can hear at the background. I think it can be compared with his remix of ‘Forgotten Moments’. He just knows exactly how to combine soft and hard and this results in a great remix of Anger.

The sixth track is Chaos, another solo track. Intro is pretty good, the kick sounds a bit strange to me, I don’t know how to explain it but it sounds a bit too bouncy. I’m not saying the kicks are bad, but I’m more a fan of hard and rough kicks that give you a cardiac arrest.

The break starts with a male voice, then after a while you can hear the melody building up. The melody is pretty good but also a bit strange, it’s a good mainstream melody but it has a harder side to it because of the changing notes in the middle of it. I think this track is a bit more experimental than we’re used from Endymion, but that’s exactly what makes it that interesting. By producing something other than what we expect, you keep yourself fresh and interesting. This track is definitely worth being on the album but I think it has to grow on some people and that not everybody will like it from the first time they hear it.

Number seven is Another Way Up. Also a co-op with Nosferatu, but it’s more a remake of All The Way Up. All the way up is one of the best Hardcore tracks for me so I was looking forward to hearing what they made of it.

The intro already sounds great; you have those typical sounds from ‘All The Way Up’ combined with some new hard and rough kicks. Already a great start to the track. The break begins with the same vocals as in ‘All The Way Up’ but they’ve added a little singing part, in the meanwhile you can hear the melody coming in through the background. They used the same melody but they only changed 2 or 3 notes in the end, I really like that they didn’t do too much with the melody as it’s perfect as it is. The hard and rough kicks only make it better compared to the original track, a really good climax part that allows you to go mad and jump around like a lunatic. Well at least that’s what I want to do when they’re playing tracks like this!

Moving on to eight, this track is named Smash, a co-op with The Viper. This is one of the most experimental tracks I’ve heard in the hardcore scene in a while. I think they’re the first ones to combine Dubstep with Hardcore. It’s something new, which I like, but I can imagine that not everyone will like it, as Dubstep isn’t everyone’s favorite music genre. But don’t worry, they make up for it. BOOM and here we go, nice kicks with some screechy noises at the background hit the scene to make sure you stomp your feet. During the break we get the same Dubsteppish part, but this makes the break more interesting than just the same piano and singing we always get in breaks. The climax has a nice melody but only thing I noticed immediately are the kicks as they change in tone. This is something which lots of Hardstyle producers do, but I prefer it to stay in the Hardstyle scene. Overall a pretty good track with lots of new and experimental stuff in it, which is always good.



The ninth track is another remix, this one by Evil Activities. A remix of a track that every hardcore fan out there will know: ‘Drunk With A Gun’. I think it’s a great honor if you may Remix such a golden track. The track is pretty ‘old’ already and has been played by everyone all over the world so I can imagine that it’s hard to remix it into even something better, but I must admit that Evil Activities did a good job. He didn’t change the melody, that’s one of his best decisions ever I think as this melody is the best mainstream one I’ve ever heard. His contribution to this track is the kicks, the kicks are great, a nice deep punch, as you can expect from Kelly. I’m glad that he didn’t ruin this track, but Evil Activities never disappoints, great job Kelly!

The tenth track is Overcome, with Lily Julian, who most people will know from A New Today with Art Of Fighters. She’s a great vocalist so I’m not surprised to see her on this album. The track starts basic with some claps and hi-hats and all other things I don’t know the name of, but the kicks are everything but basic. I love the way ‘Overcome’ is being sang before the kicks come in, it actually gave me goosebumps as the kicks are mental. Lots of distortion, which gets my seal of approval! You know what to expect from the break when someone like Lily Julian is asked for a track, a nice singing part with a great melody buildup. The melody is what Endymion stands for, they are one of the best mainstream Hardcore producers out there and this track proves it.

I’ve heard 10 tracks and they all sound different in their own special way, I just wanted to say that I’m not bored by any of them, as they all sound so new and refreshing.

Eleventh track is another co-op with Nosferatu, this time they went for something harder: Judgement Day. This is probably my favorite on the album. I’ll be honest with you guys and I’ll just say that I want this tracks babies. The kicks in this track are totally insane; I don’t have words for it. Every single hair on my body is standing up while I’m listening to this it, as it’s so rough and hard and powerful.  The break has a strong, low male voice, which makes it sound pretty intimidating.

You can tell that this track will have a hard climax part. The kicks again are extremely hard and banging, together with a screechy noise this climax is hard as hell. I can assure you that you’ll be blown away. I didn’t expect it after Face II Face and Another Way Up. But I’m glad they didn’t make a third mainstream-ish track.

Twelfth track is the third and last remix on this album, by Placid K. He remixed Art, a pretty underrated Endymion track. It seems like they saved the best for last, again the kicks in this track are tremendous. I honestly haven’t heard that much of Placid K, but he definitely got my attention with this production. The melody you hear in the break is totally different than the original but it sounds pretty good. Then something happens which I didn’t expect, a sort of anti-climax. It works out great, the melody disappears and makes place for something harder and rougher.

A great remix by Placid K and it’s worth its place on the album.

Thirteenth track is Changed The Game, a co-op with Evil Activities. This was known before the actual album as it has already been released with Broken. First thing that came to my mind is that it’s produced at a much faster tempo than all the rest. Not really important but I just noticed it! This track isn’t bad but I dislike the fact that it’s pretty much the same from beginning till the end. The kicks stay the same; there isn’t an extra melody or anything. A good point to make would be that it’s great to start a set with in my opinion, although you might have to lower the tempo a bit if you’re not in the mood for 180BPM madness from the start!

The final track on this album is Damned To Hell, a track together with Kimiko. I expect this track to be hard and rough as it’s the last track of the album and because of the name. If you were thinking the same as me then you were correct. It track starts off with a calm part but then it immediately changes into the hard banging stuff we asked for, nice kicks, great distortion over it and a sweet punch make this intro exactly what I expected it to be like. The break is pretty much similar to the intro, pretty calm with the same female voice in it. It’s about demons, which already gives it a darker atmosphere. Then the kicks come back in, slamming all over the place. This track isn’t making jokes, it’s just hard and banging from the beginning till the end. No time for a break.

I must say I’m very impressed by this album, if you haven’t bought it you should definitely get it now as it’s an absolute gem which you can’t leave out your collection.

Remember to check out all the previews here! 

More Info:
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