As a hardcore Illenium fan who gave Ascend a perfect score, this new album is bafflingly disappointing. This was the first time I've had such a numb reaction to an Illenium album, and I'm left so confused with this release. I've seen Illenium say about this album that he's gotten "a bit over" the future bass/melodic dubstep sound that he's done for so long because it's been done by so many other people, and I imagine it also has to do with him getting bored or running out of ideas ... read more
Many tracks are gravely underdeveloped and feel like the groundwork for a potentially great song, but don't get the chance to even attempt to reach that potential. Threshold ends immediately after one drop and is literally shorter than the Intro?! Trials has a great feature, but doesn't give itself enough space to breath, and feels like it's missing a drop or two that used to be there. Fear and Atmosphere are also too short to leave an impression.
The tracks that don't get cut so obscenely ... read more
This isn't mind-blowing, but I'd be doing a disservice if I labelled it anything less than great. I understand if it didn't grab you, as it didn't blow me away like I was hoping it would, but it wasn't a disappointment for me either. It starts out with probably my least favorite track, and it doesn't have a particularly fantastical ending, but even those issues don't do much to harm the listening experience.
I genuinely don't think there's any bad tracks here. There's also not many (if any) ... read more
CMK's performance is the best I've ever heard from him with lyrics I (mostly) love, combined with Illenium's fantastic production. It feels so unique within the boundaries of what you would expect out of Illenium and his sound and I think it worked out amazingly.