Dark Music Review – Warrior Sound
Review Written by Casey Douglass
My first experience of
The Qemist’s mix of electronic rock, breakbeats and ear-worming
vocals was at a gig where they were supporting Crossfaith, a
fantastic pairing of two bands that share a love of pumped up
electronic melodies draped over a thumping heavy metal skeleton.
Think Frankenstein’s monster, but with a DJ deck and a guitar
instead of a bolt through the neck and a strange walk. Suffice to say
that after hearing The Qemists at that gig, I made sure to buy their
3rd studio album Warrior Sound at the next possible
opportunity.
Warrior Sound is
a 12 track album that opens with an intro track that puts me a little
in mind of the start of Kick-Ass, like the backing track to the
amateur superhero before they fly off into the night (or crash onto
the roof of a car). Once we are through that, we are onto the meat of
the album, which features songs that contain a heady mix of rock, electronica and drum
and bass. If you are a fan of The
Prodigy, Chase and Status, or similar bands, you will likely
find something to enjoy here. As an example, Push The Line is a track
that I clicked with well because it put me strongly in mind of No
More Idols era Chase and Status, the only album I successfully
got into of C&S. I think the “They won’t bring me down!”
hook and the way the music builds and swells just appeals to me in a
way that not all electronic and d&b stuff can.
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| A photo taken by myself showing Kenta Koie on stage with The Qemists for Anger. |
The Qemists are masters
of ear-worming lyrics that also manage to mean something and pump up
the listener. A fine example is Anger featuring Crossfaith’s Kenta
Koie. This is a rumbling roiling track that bubbles under the chorus,
which includes the line “See we're two wolves inside, my anger
salivates”, which I particularly like. Certainly a song about
empowering yourself and holding to your own course, not being swayed
by the haters and the weak. This is an element that runs through much
of Warrior Sound, the us against them mentality and
intolerance towards the inequalities in our society. A perfect
example of this is Jungle, featuring Hactivist, an expansive track
with vocals that punch and spit before the main pounding chorus takes
over. Run You is another hyping up track, an anthem that says: “don’t
let them run you” and to do what you want to do, interspersed with
textured electronic sounds and a fast-paced beat. This track is a
good one to head-bang to as well.
Warrior Sound is a fine
album and one that could likely appeal to metal heads just as surely
as fans of drum and bass. If your music taste lies in one of these
areas, check it out and see if it’s your thing. If it is, you might
like to check out Crossfaith too, although in my opinion, they inject
a bit more metal into their music. I give Warrior Sound 4.5/5.
Visit The Qemists at
this link for tour info etc., and take a watch of their video for Run
You from their official YouTube channel below:
Album Title: Warrior
Sound
Artist: The Qemists
Label: Amazing Record
Co.
Genre: Dance,
Electronic, Rock
Released: 4 March 2016
Warrior Sound CD Cover Image © Copyright The Qemists
