Editor: Carsten Giese
It must have been at the end of 2012 when Audiotricz made an impact across the scene with releasing their 10k-like free track-package. Right after that everything went pretty fast for them. Now in 2020 – 8 years later – its time for their first album.
Back in the days, Leon Benschop and Kenneth Kroes started ot release their first tracks on the almighty lablel – Scantraxx. Beside this they entered into many collaborations and worked together with Bass Modulators, Atmozfears or the legendary man The Prophet. Of course the list is much longer – this was only to name just a few.
A unique style
Due to their unique euphoric – sometimes melancholic – Hardstyle tracks containing catchy vocals their level of awareness quickly increased. Especially their track selection, the number of performances on all of the major festivals additionally formed a big fanbase.
In 2016 they had their Qlimax debut, followed by their first performance on the massive Defqon-1 mainstage in 2017.
Now, in 2020, they finally got the chance and the honor to release their first album on the innovative label “Art of Creation”. So 13 tracks including an interlude are waiting for us to entertain us. Audiotricz – A new Dawn !
So lets have a look at the tracks
The album starts with an interlude which leads to the first track called “Shamed”. Yes, Shamed – Audiotricz performed it live on stage at Defqon-1 2019 with a guitar. Do you remember?
It contains a short vocal part, accompanied with a nice piano and is followed by their signature guitar part. This combination instantly reminds me of one of Kirk Hammett’s (Metallica) solos.
The track itself combines dubstep elements, a solid well known kick-/bass drum, a vocal part with a solid melody.
The atmosphere is yet uplifting, but somehow a little melancholic at the same time.
With this style Audiotricz stay true to theirselves. Thus it applies also to “Distance”, “Renegade” “Skyward” and “Don’t say Goodbye”, which could be labeled as “melanphoric” vocal Hardstyle. A mixture of melancholic and euphoric.
Great remix by Code Black
Code Black contributed a great remix for “Let there be light”.
Starting off with a “crunchy” midintro-bassdrum leading to the mystical- atmospheric break and a catchy melody. Thanks to this, the track immediately creates that certain festival-feeling we all know and love. Certainly one of my highlights.
The melody itself has almost the same pattern as the Alpha² Remix of Tonight by Headhunterz, Noisecontrollers and Wildstylez. But this does not make it a bad track at all.
Strong MC vocals
Well-known MC E-Life provided vocals for two tracks called “Different” and “Supersonic”.
While “Supersonic” makes use of a similar “crunchy” midintro-kick-/bassdrum, “Different” uses a heavier more raw-orientated one. Thus to contribute their unique euphoric and uplifting “Let’s get it on”- atmosphere.
Euphoric at its best with Aloma Steele
Although this track has been published 9 months ago, the voice of Aloma Steele still creates a strong euphoric atmosphere which perfectly fits on a festival like Defqon-1 or Decibel. Blue sky a nice sun and then its time to sing “Dont say goodbye”. Definitely a must be on the “Audiotricz – A new Dawn” album.
Collab with Darren Stylez
The only track which does not really seem to fit is the collab with Darren Styles. Ironically this more experimental track with UK hardcore influences and a slightly boosted pace – lacks one thing which it is named after: “Energy”. Maybe it can be accounted to the more experimental parts – so more a personal thing – but it of course adds an extra portion diversity.
My second highlight – Ecstatic
Dirty Workz’ uprising duo Ecstatic created the 13th and last track of the album. And what a banger this is!
Bordering the limits of Hardstyle (without being raw) this remix delivers a heavier kick-/bass drum, darker atmosphere, the iconic “Q-Dance-Voice” and a really catchy melody which also alters in the last part.
Conclusion:
“Audiotricz – A new Dawn” comprises a decent album. The tracks all have atmosphere and are able to create a certain Hardstyle feeling. Especially the guitar parts are a highlight, which is not seen often across the scene.
In terms of production-quality this is state of the art. All of the tracks are well mixed and mastered. The sound is clear on all tested devices.
The only thing negative for us was the fact, that some tracks have breaks and intros which are pretty long. Sometimes you just have slightly more than one minute of “real track”. But this is just a matter of taste.
READ OUR REVIEW ABOUT NEROZ NEW ALBUM HERE..
Make sure you don’t miss out on this one if you are into euphoric Hardstyle and love long vocal breaks.