‘This is the time to restore the order. This is what we are expecting from her atomic power. She is ready to blow down the planet. You can choose to be with her and stay alive or against her and die.’
AniMe presents her new album Exterminate. Let’s cast a glimpse at the album. Barbara Palermo alias AniMe is known for her Italian hardcore, the lovely sounds are highly enjoyable and powerful. For every hardcore fan and even newcomers AniMe does produce great tracks , that make your eardrums vibrate.
In this review, we will highlight a few tracks from the album and ask AniMe a few questions about the album. The album consists of 15 new tracks and 14 of her classics. Let’s start on the first track; ‘I’m still here’!
01. AniMe – I’m still here
‘I’m still here haters, guess who’s back!’ This is the most important sentence of this track. The track starts with some heavy kicks , followed by the melody part in the middle of the track. This is really my favourite part of the track. A typical AniMe track, woth a powerful kick, a nice drive and some cool vocals. Ending with a rougher kick part, this track sounds promising!
Q: Speaking about the typical AniMe sound, how would you describe your own sound?
In a few words: energetic, badass and with a message.
02. AniMe – Supernova (feat. MC Matos)
This track is simply amazing. The middle part assisted by MC Matos is working towards a drop, but then suddenly the drop is way different than you expect. Wow! This is rough Italian hardcore! Great track with a nice melodious synth effect. The track is perfectly balanced and does perfectly fit the style of AniMe.
03. AniMe – Your Dreams
This track is a must check! For sure the part after 2:10 is amazing! This melody gives you the feeling of an anthem. It would have been a perfect anthem for Dominator, Harmony of Hardcore, Ground Zero or any other hardcore event.
The sound reminds me of the Dominator anthem by Nosferatu and Tha Playah – Riders of Retaliation. Not a bad thing of course, because this track is crazy! It’s different from the other tracks on this album. The melody is uplifting and when you close your eyes you can imagine the feeling of this track while it’s being played at a grand event.
04. AniMe – Exterminate
Let’s have a look at the album anthem ‘Exterminate’! The track starts with some heavy kicks, assisted by siren similar screeches. It takes a while before this track is really exterminating. Around 2:30 the melody is starting to reach a higher tempo and the track is getting to the next level.
Somehow this track does not catch me. In the other tracks I mentioned so far, the melodies really make you want to dance, this track, however, is more about the kicks and sirens. When you listen carefully you can really hear the layers in the kicks of this track. That’s the best of this track. With a good sound system, this track will do well at an event for sure!
05. AniMe – Hunting for your soul (Koozah Remix)
Yes! The melodies are back again. This is how we want an AniMe track to be. The melody in this track is typical and quite recognizeable. This track is really uplifting. Around 2:40 the track is loose.
In the end, another melody starts to take over, bringing the track towards its final beats. Koozah is a Spanish producer, he is the new talent at Traxtorm Records. He did a great job making this mix!
Q: Koozah is a really talented producer, what made you decide to let him create this remix?
I chose Koozah because I like his style, moreover he is a new arrival at Traxtorm Records, the same label as me, so I decided to give him the opportunity to show his potential to more people.
07. AniMe– Terrordome
This track was already released during the #TiH (This is Hardcore) project. Anyway, we still want to mention this track! If you never heard a track of AniMe, then this must be the first track you need to hear. This is AniMe in a nutshell! The melodies, the lyrics, the drop, the whole track is perfectly balanced. Let’s not spend too many words. The music will do the rest.. ‘Welcome to the Terrordome’!
Q: Terrordome is one of our favourites of 2015! This track is released during the #TiH project. This project brought us many great tracks. Looking back on #TiH, what did it bring you?
It was nice to have a project with other big artists of the scene, it brought me personal satisfaction.
Q: Will there be another #TiH project soon?
Actually, I don’t know 😀
08. AniMe – Fucking Jump
Wow! This is one of the craziest tracks of the album, when speaking about hard kicks and rough melodies. This track is a real banger. You can feel the energy in this track. The melody starts at a lower volume but you can hear it working towards the drop. BOOM!
You really want to f#cking jump because this track gives you so much energy! The part before the drop around 2:10 is just brutal. The sound sweeps from left to right and then the kick joins! Around 3:00 the track does reach his ultimate climax. Damn, talking about extermination, well I think I am exhausted at least.
11. AniMe – I’ll Crush You
Alright, do you still have so energy left? Well, this track will crush you! The kick is highly enjoyable, I like the little crisp in this kick. This track is draining the last bits of energy out of your body. This is for sure one of the roughest tracks I remember of AniMe. The second part of the track is great. The melody does switch to a higher octave a few times, which gives it a nice twist.
14. AniMe – Turn that shit up
We did almost reach the end of the album. Let’s tune that shit up again! A powerful track with some melodious synth sounds. The tempo is a bit higher during this track. I like the breaking glass before the vocals and the drop. This gives something extra. In this track, it is really about the details. Of course the whole track is a crazy ride, but AniMe did add some funny sounds like breaking glass and a doorbell. So listen to this track with your ‘ears’ open!
Q: During this track we can hear breaking glass and even a doorbell! How did you come up with this idea? It is really original and gives this track an awesome touch!
When I was a teenager living with my parents, I practised every day with turntables. I made everyone upset with the loud music, especially my one neighbour who knocked on the wall and screamed very loud for years, to get me to stop playing. Poor guy, his every attempt was totally useless!
15. AniMe – Detonate (The Sickest Squad Remix)
AniMe did release this track in 2010, now it is time for a remix. The Sickest Squad is known for their powerful music with crazy bpm switches and a little industrial and Frenchcore twists. The track has a great vibe, that banging vibe with a happy crazy piano melody behind it.
You expect nothing less from a remix by The Sickest Squad. Seems like a great choice by AniMe. This track will be on repeat for sure. The tempo switches, break beats, high dose of kicks, vocals topped by a crazy effect, it is all really balanced!
Q: The Sickest Squad are in the scene for a while now, why did you choose them?
I chose The Sickest Squad because I like their music and I like them, they’re funny guys and I love to party with them.
Q: Looking back on your album, did it work out as expected?
It’s working out more than what I expected. I have received very positive feedback from people and from my colleagues. My tour is doing very well and my agenda is full of parties! I couldn’t ask for more!
Q: We allow you to chose 3 tracks from your album and delete the rest, which would you prefer, and why?
I would never delete any of them, not even for a joke! However, I do have a special connection with “I’m still here”, “Fucking jump”, “Supernova”, “I’ll crush you” and “Your dreams”.
Q: At the end of the trailer we see some countries passing by for your album tour, can you tell us something about it?
Sure, I will bring my sound in many countries in the next months. During the set I will play only my tracks, mixing my new tracks with my classic. I suggest to people to listen to the album before to be a part of the EXTERMINATE tour, so they can scream the vocals and drop at the right moment.
The album did come to an end, but I instantly press the repeat button. This is a great album, delivered by AniMe. Seems like producing an album was worthwhile! When I did play the album for the first time I did not know what to expect. Of course there are tracks with that known uplifting sound and melodies but AniMe did also produce tracks that are really different. The quality of this album does surprise me. I think with this album AniMe did really made a statement. She is ready to EXTERMINATE!