It has been more a year since EXO
released their third album EX’ACT.
Now, the boys come back again with newest album The War on July 18th, 2017.
The War album feels special for EXO. It marks the fifth year
anniversary of their career. It would be interesting to see EXO growth and
development in terms of music.
How much EXO have matured? How does EXO change after five years
becoming idol? Check out my review of The War album here……….
EXO surprised us since beginning of The War album. They choose mid
tempo song called The Eve as opening
instead of the usual upbeat track. The
Eve combined R&B beat with electronic dance music. R&B represented
by bass and drum instrumental. Meanwhile, synthesizer gave the song electronic
dance breakdown.
R&B and electronic dance combination created great dynamic for
The Eve. This song became more
complete with EXO singing part. Each member sounds strong here. Plus, I like
the fact that the vocal and music kept fill each other parts just like what can
be heard during chorus.
The Eve was a strong opening. It set tone and mood for The War album. Then
the lyrics itself matched the situation too. We need to break the wall in order
to see the eve. In other words, we need to let loose and listen each track to
enjoy The War album.
Ko Ko Bop showed new side of EXO. The boys made an attempt in reggae music
then mixed it with EDM. It’s promising, but there was a lot to be desire. Check
out the full review here.
EXO kept their tradition in releasing funk music through What U Do?. This song was full of guitar
riff, unique drum as well as bass melody. It reminded me so much with their
previous hits Love Me Right. However,
EXO added a bit of electronic pop music to differentiate it with the latter.
What U Do? displayed EXO true feeling to their loved one. They fell in love
with whatever their loved one did. It was a cheerful song, which able to lift
up spirit and danced. People will easily sing along since it has catchy chorus.
If previous three tracks showcased fun side of EXO, Forever did the opposite. It gave darker
vibe through old school synthesizer and keyboard sound. Still, EXO put modern
touch during the chorus. It has electronic dance music, which seemed to be the
main theme of The War album.
Aside from having darker vibe, Forever
also has strong dynamic. The song flow never slowed down since the beginning. Chen’s high note started Forever then continued with Kai, Chanyeol, and Sehun’s rapping
parts. They keep the tone and emotion of this song, which talked about EXO
willingness to stay with their loved ones forever. When it got too
overwhelming, Suho and Xiumin soft vocal filled in. The latter
surprisingly become a star of this song.
Diamond was the most experimental tracks in The War album. This time, EXO
mixed deep house verses with Middle Eastern-influenced chorus. They managed to
put smooth transition between two genres, which made the song flowed well.
EXO did not only experiment their music, but also lyrics. Diamond shed EXO sweet and sincere
feeling to their loved ones just like what have been shown on previous tracks.
This song showed EXO way of bragging. They talked about their awesomeness and
power.
The experimental theme made Diamond
hit or miss for some people. It was catchy and fun, but the vocal treatment
could be better. They need to tone down unnecessary raps in the middle of
singing.
EXO brought back their signature R&B style with Touch It. This song dominated by distinct
beat, strong rap, and sleek vocal harmonization. It has tight arrangement along
with enjoyable flow. All of these seemed like a reminiscence of R&B music
golden era at late 90s and early 2000s.
Through Touch It, EXO
member had a chance to show their capabilities in terms of music. Chen helped
write the song lyrics. It was quite simple since it talked about a boy who did
not know what to do when met his crush. Whether related or not with him taking
part in composition, Chen vocal also shined the most here. He owned the bridge
part!
Chill was another song composed by EXO member. Chanyeol took part in
writing the lyrics. He described about how EXO members captivated by certain
girl and could not escape from her. Just like Chen in Touch It, Chanyeol became the highlight in Chill. He nailed the rap part during bridge!
Other members also displayed different side of them throughout Chill. D.O. shocked me with his semi-rapping before chorus. It gave unique
aspect to this song aside from its disco inspired music.
Chill was actually an interesting song. However, the song dynamic
sounded confusing. It has no climax and ended abruptly. Moreover, the mixing
created another issue to Chill. The
music was too loud, which covered EXO vocal.
Finally, EXO brought slower song through Walk On Memories. It has strong R&B beat accompanied by piano
sound. They played out the instrumental in distant, which created warm and
dreamy vibe. This fitted well with the song lyrics.
Walk On Memories represented EXO longing feeling. They missed their former
girlfriend and dreamed about their memories together. Other than music, EXO
showcased similar vibe through their vocal. All of the members sang with soft
tone in the beginning of this song.
Suddenly, Walk On Memories took
different turn during last chorus. EXO sang this song in lower register instead
of taking dramatic climax. It related with the lyrics, which was about feeling
of acceptance. The boys decided to let go their former girlfriend. It was nice
yet emotional change at the same time.
As the last track, EXO decided to go hard with Going Crazy. This song described EXO
desperation in getting their former girlfriend back. There was sense of urgency
and suffocation, which perfectly captured on the music.
Going Crazy mixed R&B and electronic dance genre. The strong beat along
with EXO vocal, especially Baekhyun,
gave emotional punch to the song. Meanwhile, the addition of piano and violin
at the end of each verses created dramatic effect. Every part differentiated
from other, which made this song played like journey for EXO.
The War proved how much EXO matured in five years of their career.
They manage to keep up with trend while not losing themselves. The boys also
develop sense in picking a song that easy to listen and fun to perform at the
same.
Beside that, EXO successfully grew in terms of music and vocal.
The War album production sounded solid while EXO vocal continued improving.
Each member got decent amount of lines although Chen, Xiumin, and Chanyeol
stole the show for me.
It was a great effort from EXO in creating The War. Definitely
their best album to date!
Favorite
Songs : The Eve, What U Do?,
Forever, Touch It, Walk On Memories, Going Crazy
Rating : 4.5/5
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