Fear.FM Harder

TNT - The Album

So here I am, sitting in the corner of my room, wiping the drool off my cheeks and gasping for air, angry neighbours are banging on my door and while I'm trying to get up to get the door I think I might have fractured my ankle. Between the monotone beep sound in my ears I hear some echos of some infinite screeches, pumping melodies, screaming vocals and ear blowing hardstyle kicks bouncing off the walls. What the hell just happened??

I remember playing some music that I just bought at but the memory is vague and my mind is pretty empty. Still not quite sure about what just hit me, I move myself, stumbling to the other side of the room towards my sound system. You can almost smell the smoke that is coming out of my speakers. And when I look at the table I begin to realize that this massacre just might be the result of the album two Italian hardstyle producers have just released. A CD-cover is lying next to me with two guys staring at me, but my sight is still blurry. I pick up the CD-cover and turn it around to see the tracklist.... *PLING* Everything becomes clear... The screeches, the melodies, the kicks, Technoboy, Tuneboy..... Yes!! I remember everything now! TNT- THE ALBUM! That's what just happened!

DDD 2
So, my first memory begins when the album kicks off with a remake of the famous TNT track "Double Dutch Darkies". That just can't go wrong you would say right? Well.. that's correct! While keeping the energy and the ear ripping screeches of the original track, Technoboy and Tuneboy managed to create a fresh sounding remake. The melody that is added is typical for their style: compelling and uplifting at the same time. I remember myself getting out my chair to make my first blistering moves in my room! Great way to start your album guys!

Scared
The next track is "Scared". And with this one I have to confess that the last couple of months I repeatedly visited Tuneboys website only to hear the preview of this track! The mid-intro is a great example of explaining why I am such an Technoboy/Tuneboy fan. An energetic and powerful reversed bass combined with a sturdy melody. Even if you are just dancing like a complete moron, jumping around like a bonehead, this mid-intro will still make you look cool. The climax has an early hardstyle sound to it which just makes the track complete! I remember myself grabbing my head screaming "Oh my god" while jumping in the air when hearing this climax! Really great and unique stuff!

Dial T for TNT
"I Know a girl, She looks so fine", is what the vocal claims in this out-of-the-box-hardstyle track. Well, if that girl posseses only 50% of the finess this track represents, I definitely want to meet her! Because that sure must be a great looking hot ass angel from heaven then! Need I say more? Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. Very refreshing and powerful sounding elements in this track. And while I already heard this one on several parties I still can't get enough of it. This must have been the part where I started to drool. Love it!

Countdown
So imagine me drooling all over the place while the next track kicks in. A cheesy melody starts playing and just before the kick blows my face away, the sound turns darker and more techno-like! Something totally different than the first three tracks and that's exactly what keeps an album interesting to keep listening to. This sure is a (dark)side of TNT I didn't hear before... I like it!

Punk Fanatic (Ft. Brennan Heart)
Personally, I prefer it when the amount of collaborations on an album is set to a minimum. I want to hear the creative outbursts of the artist itself right? Still, 1 or 2 collabs keeps an album refreshing so that's exactly what our Italian friends did. They choose the Dutch Scantraxx producer Brennan Heart to produce the track Punk Fanatic. An energetic melody and the pitched kicks are flying around your ears. Surprisingly good track.

First Match 2011
Let's check: I'm still breathing (although it more of an uncontrollable gasping) my heart is still beating (200 BPM is normal, right?). Yes, I think I am ready for the second half of the album. And what better way to start this second half than with a great festival anthem? Yes, I am talking about the First match remake. When I first heard this track, I thought what the hell it have to do with its legendary little brother. It had no resemblances with any sound whatsoever, so why did they choose to name it this way? Well, the secret lies in the midintro. A very powerful part of the track which, in my opinion is a combination of the orginal First Match and the also legendary track, Donkey Rollers - Motherfuck. The climax is, as most of you might have already heard, perfect for the upcoming festival season. Euphoric and uplifting! This one will definitely keep you going all summer!

TN-Who?
So what do you think of TNT so far? Pretty amazing huh? To check if you're not the only one worshipping these two guys, they held a little interview amongst some random passers-by and presented the results in the form of a magnificent track. The vocals, which of course have to be taken with a wink, are fun to hear and the typical 'oh-my-god" sounding reversed bass makes this track a real pleasure to listen to! A perfect sounding diverse track!

Naked
Ok, at this point I've turned the volume of my speakers to the maximum level. For a second (literally) I think about my neighbors, but that very short moment of social awareness passed by as soon as I hear the next track called "Naked". Speaking about festival material. You've got another one right here! The track contains a very easy going melody which should be perfect to enjoy while you're dancing in the sun with a beer and some friends and a big smile on your face.

The Eight Note
BAM! This is exactly what I mean when I talk about Hardstyle! Typical TNT style! The midintro is exactly what I love about this great style of music. It starts off with some perfectly designed pierced screeches and a powerful reversed bass kick. And then.. yes! another "act-like-a-moron-and-still-look-cool" melody. Perfect for guys like me! How many favorite tracks on one album can a man have?? *Crack*! What was that?? Ouch, that must have been the point where I fractured my ankle while jumping like an idiot

Good Times
For God's sake guys, please let the next track be a little less excellent than the first! This shit can easily cause some heart damage over here. Unfortunately our Italian friends have no mercy! The next track is called Good times and that is exactly what I had while listening to this track. Very uplifting and melodic track which will definitely keep you going!

Utta Wanka
Paintings are falling down from the walls, my windows are cracked and in the corner of my eye I see some smoke coming out of my speakers. Hearing the first sounds of the next track immediately allows me forget about all this chaos. A very catchy vocal starts off, making clear what they think of so called "Utta wankas" And while the message to these Utta Wankas isn't too positive, my opinion of this track sure as hell is! Amazing how the Saifam group always manages to make their tracks sound crystal clear. Some real nice breaks and perfectly composed melodies.

Second match (Amazed remix)
Thank god, the last track! I don't think I would have been able to hold it much longer! Newcomer Amazed is the new recruit to the Saifam group and has been chosen to make his version of the classical track Second match. I already had heard some other tracks of this guy and referring to that I wouldn't say it was the perfect guy to finish the album with his style. But... I was wrong. Obviously this guy has more than one style he likes to work with, because the next track is really something different. A surprisingly raw-sounding remix which I think is perfect to finish your album with!

And while the last beats are banging out of my speakers, everything becomes black and I pass out. Damn, what a ride that was! I couldn't say I was really surprised by the quality of this album because my expectations were sky high! Luckily the guys from TNT, Technoboy and Tuneboy, exceeded my expectations by far! Although you can say that the tracks all have a specific style, there’s a nice build-up. But for me what’s more important is that the variety of the tracks is very high, and that is exactly why it's interesting to listen to each track after another. The album has some really cool “euphoric” parts, but I think that even listeners of “Raw-hardstyle” can also appreciate this sort of style. Especially if you take the crazy, lightly hysterical mid-intro’s of some tracks. As a whole I think the album is a complete product. Too bad they didn’t include the full (mixable) version tracks, but if you’re not a DJ it's a good thing since it keeps up the tempo of the album. If you're a hardstyle-lover, this album is definitely one to buy! You wont be disappointed! And if you're really smart, check these guys out at the next festival you're attending this summer!

More Info:
Fear.FM Release Database
Buy @ iTunes.com
Buy @ Recess