xSPONGEXCOREx
How Tough Are Yah?

Release Date: 2014 | Tracklist

Heavy metal mixed with Spongebob Squarepants voice samples? Is this what we have come to in music? Is this really a musical formula for success, or so it can be the “next big thing” to happen in music for this current generation to latch onto as it has done many times before? This New York-based heavy metal band thinks otherwise, conjuring up a five-track EP of this unusual yet very original musical style for metal and Spongebob die-hards to chew up on. The result? The spark of a almost cult-like following on social media, and even getting some of the cast members of the Nick cartoon like Tom Kenny to come out as fans of xSPONGEXCOREx themselves. How can something so weird, so out-of-the ordinary such as an extended play like “How Tough Are Yah” turn out to be much more than what you would originally expect? The only way to put it into words can be said in just three: “It just does.”

The debut EP starts off with the intro track “G.A.R.Y”, which opens up to the curious listener the distinctive yet interesting blend of heavy metal and Spongebob samples. The band has stated that the music showcased in this five-track preview or in future material is for “comedic purposes”, which certainly you can understand why because it is indeed hilarious and very funny. Lyrics like "So you like kickin' butts do yah? Well we'll show you old man!" are absolutely fitting and hard to not laugh at to the tune of ear-grinding hardcore metal guitar! However, you can also feel that the material has this sort of like “bipolar” nature immersed in the EP: especially in “G.A.R.Y” with the seemingly cheerful tone set by Spongebob right in the beginning and then starts converting into violent anger and emotional breakdown as the track progresses. That almost psychotic-like nature infused into the music gives the EP a “rough and tough” edge to it, which would make perfect sense as into why the five-track set is titled “How Tough Are Yah?”: it's mixture of mere emotional anger, fear, cheerfulness, and laughter is an emotional roller-coaster ride that tests the mental toughness of the listener. It's “emotional roller-coaster” atmosphere is pretty prominent as you progress to tracks like the explosive “So, You Like Kickin' Butts Do Yah?”, which its plethora of heavy-metal guitar riffs makes it undoubtedly the top overall track in the EP with its perfectly-timed and fitting Patrick, Spongebob, and Squidward voice samples blending with the explosiveness of the metal guitar riffs. The EP isn't entirely heavy-metal: it shies away a little from it as the music takes a trip down the dubstep route with it's fittingly-titled “Dubby Dan” offering up a conjuring of deep bass riffs and metal guitar along with the “psychotic” nature of the voice samples continuing its march throughout the EP. More of the same could be said in the final two tracks, “He Is Number One” with its cheerful and ecstatic tone easily displaying the roller-coaster ride of sheer bipolarness this five-track set goes thru, and “This Is Patrick”.

The five-track EP isn't without its flaws: the five track are a little too short, with each track clocking no more than a minute and a half. You literally can get through this EP in less than six minutes, making this feel more like a preview rather than an actual extended play that usually clocks in between 15-20 minutes. This may have been intentional, but still the unusually-short length of these tracks are a bit of a negative for “How Tough Are Yah?”. What lacks in length however, makes up for quality. The formula of heavy metal, with an exception with dubstep for one track, shockingly fit well together, as unusual or weird it may sound to those who haven't given the EP a try. While it is undoubtedly funny and hilarious listening to the mixture of voice samples of Spongebob and Co. to the sounds of exploding, ear-tearing metal guitar, you can see the up and down mood swings that's visible throughout the EP with a sense of almost “mentally-bipolar” nature to it. It essentially is a pretty serious set of music, even if the band wanted it to be merely funny and it happens to be a big plus for the EP. What's also great is how it can be appealing to even those who aren't really into heavy metal or to Spongebob: “How Tough Are Yah?” is able to reach out and appeal to all audiences in the music realm, which isn't easy for any sort of EP or LP to accomplish these days. With another EP just released, if it is able to replicate the success that “How Tough Are Yah?” is enjoying, this New York-based heavy-metal band has quite a promising future on their hands, and that's pretty mind-boggling considering the route they've taken with their music.

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3.3 great

Rank: #0 for 2014