THIS MEANS WAR review - Take us over, Daddy Volkor

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
This Means War is the 2016 debut album by the enigmatic synth artist Volkor X. Sometimes labeled "dark synth," Volkor X has become something of a monolith among synth enthusiasts, a rite of passage in the same mileau as Lorn or Lazerhawk. Personally, I got into synth with Meteor's phenomenal Para||el Lives, but Volkor X was a very quick follow soon after, and has since become one of my very favorite musicians/bands, period. This album is so damn incredible.



Now, I'm not much of a music aficionado, though I do keep tabs on it as with just about any art. So unlike my friend, I can't wax lyrical (heh) over its "leitmotifs" or "arrangements;" but one thing I will go pound for pound with anyone on is the fact that these songs shred--and shred hard. They have this otherworldly, transcendent vibe which is unlike anything else I've listened to (even Hollywood Burns, whose body of work I would describe similarly, is a different kind of otherworldly and transcendent). TMW runs the gamut; at times it is adrenaline-pumping, others soothing. But it never gives you tonal whiplash by hurling from one tone to another too fast--you're always eased into things at a pace that keeps you riveted.

Its guitar riffs are godlike and blend with the more techy sounds to craft a well woven experience unlike any other. One could be fairly mistaken for believing This Means War to have been done by a band or even an entire orchestra, but no--it was just one dude, and a dude with immeasurable talent no less. When I listen to this album on my near daily pilgrimage, it always gives me this particular snug, cozy feeling that you can only really get from something that at once typifies the word "classic," while always having one foot in today.

Synth music is sometimes derided as being "nostalgic" and "behind the times," but I never grew up on synth. Sure, it was in some older movies I watched, but it wasn't something I had much of a connection to at that time. Volkor X is just a class act you really ought to give a listen to some of, even if you maybe aren't all too into the genre (but maybe I'm just an evangelist). And what better place to start, than This Means War? It's the perfect kind of tunes you can listen to while working, going for a walk--hell, it's perfect in just about every situation. In fact, please play this at my funeral. I think you already knew it, but This Means War gets a 10/10 from me.

Masterpiece

Summary:
One of the very best albums the synthwave movement has to offer, and one of the very best albums--full stop.

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