Review Summary: The first real Trancecore band becomes the first ''TranceDjent'' band.
In 2010, Fail emotions were the first band to get Trancecore right. Elaborate song structures and balanced Trance and Metalcore elements made Transfornation an all-around great debut album. The album wasn’t perfect, but for a debut it was really well put-together. We’re now in 2012, and the band decided to not do the same thing twice and add something to their sound.
Fail Emotions still sound like themselves, but they decided to throw a Djent element in the mix (fans will get this amazing reference) too. As of now, this is the only band in the world to sound like this, and they should be given some credit for their uniqueness alone. However, something different doesn’t mean something good; bananas are delicious, not so much when mixed with french fries.
Fortunately, they do it right. By Djent, I mean that their chugging patterns are a bit more complex, that the guitar tone is different and that the overall sound is heavier/proggier. Besides that, it all remains familiar. The electro elements are still extremely well integrated with the metal side, the vocals are still about 60/40 clean/harsh and the song structures still avoid the obvious verse/chorus/repeat/bridge/chorus/ending.
While the first album sometimes felt like the guitars let the electro elements take center stage, this one is a bit more developed in that aspect. Some examples would be the clean verses from Speed of Light (which have clean guitar solos that work perfectly with the vocal lines) and the odd-timed guitar harmony section in 148. It shows that the band really tries to make the best songs they can make. The clean vocals also improved, the autotune being toned down to show that the guy can actually sing. There are still a lot of effects on the voice, but it works for their sound.
In conclusion, this EP is excellent. Sure, it could have been better (the harsh vocals are still a bit weak, it’s not as catchy as the first album and the remixes are useless), but overall it’s extremely solid stuff.
