This review covers the synth-pop track Covenant – Prime Movers (Club Version).
This track was released in 2015. It is part of the compilation album Dependence – Next Level Electronics 2015.
The track starts off with a few general sounds that sound almost mechanical in nature. An additional couple of effects include some filtered white noise and some revere hits (possibly a rim shot). From there, the track then gets a synth melody with a slight sliding effect.
The melody is backs with a very subtle sub-melody and some vocal work. After that, the track gets its first drop.
Right after a brief moment, the track goes into a general buildup. The four to the floor has a rather hardstyle feel to it. There some additional synth fill before it goes into a verse. After that, the track hits its first chorus. The lyrics are generally layered with a mix of regular and soft vocals. After that, there’s an additional drop.
The next buildup contains a grimey bassline and a few effects. The effects transitions the track into the next verse. The next chorus is separated by a couple of effects and a synth solo. The verse is also followed up by a general synth melody. The verse repeats after that. After another solo synth melody, the track gradually breaks down with some pads and choir-like sounds.
This track certainly has some strengths here. One of those strengths are some nicely realized sounds that could easily be heard in a hardstyle track. Yet, with the vocal work and some of the synths, allows this track to still be on the synth-pop side of things. It definitely gives this track an interesting sound quality.
Another strength in this track is the way the track transitions from one section to another. Some tracks just smoothly bleed from one section to another. Other tracks throw in a few small effects for a half a bar or so. This track slices up the section with an interesting patch of various synth effects. These transitions really helps accentuates the hard style inspiration here.
For me, the vocals have their strengths and weaknesses. The main chorus found throughout the track makes the vocals work quite well. On the other side, the vocals wind up sounding a little thin during the verses. The problem is seemingly two fold: they slide a little too far into being mono-toned and they aren’t backed by much. They probably needed a little more work on the verse sections of the track.
Still, a strength in this track is the synth melodies that are splashed about here and there. They add so much to the overall sound quality to the track. The slight, yet quick, sliding effect between notes really adds to the overall theme of the track.
Overall, this is a pretty solid track. It has nice melodies, and has an interesting mixture of synth-pop and hard style. The vocals are both a strength and weakness depending on where you listen to them in the track. So, I would say that this is a pretty enjoyable track.
Score
7.5/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Google+.
