Avenged Sevenfold Self-Titled Album 2007.

(Residing pleasurably in my past.)

I have listened to this album way back in 2002, which I had painstakingly downloaded with dial-up speed through a now-almost-dead site called Audiogalaxy (both of which makes me appreciate my getting a copy of it more). Just in time for my summer vacation right after graduating Elementary with the greatest sense of fulfillment I have ever experienced.

Trance music was much fitting, as it exemplifies my feeling of overflowing joy for having endured the longest school year of my life. Trance music with Japanese vocals by the Queen of J-Pop was heavenly for an otaku such as I. Every track is its own story: ones of success, of troubles that come, conquering them as a good student should (We had no choice. Hah!), of graduating, and finally a much-deserved three-month vacation -- if ever it weren't stained of needing to take summer classes.

I listen to it for the nth time now as the best parts of my six grade flash out like the sunrises I used to be able to view all the time by not sleeping all night on the PC and learning to color my artworks. :D Association with memories is the best part with music appreciation, I think; every listener has his own unique bunch of experiences to go with them, and everyday being with the old just evolves into a new feeling.



01 - Depend on you (Svenson & Gielen remix)

Who cares if I don't understand the lyrics? Obviously the starter of the fourteen-track album, it is only good and right it should be energetic. It does feel like the hopeful start of a new school year for me, an unforgettable morning, a path you'd take part of in building. The beats are the selling point of remix albums, making this a trance album in the first place. What use is to say the words complement the music?

Typical trance, preparation mellowness with few piano keys at first, then everything blasts and you could see yourself flying through clouds, as if in a whole new sense of experiencing, as if you were in heaven/purgatory/just jumping off from an airplane to bungee-jump and could do anything. Then it explains in surround sound how cool it is you are feeling, what kinds of clouds you're passing through. At some point things go flurry, but you still unwaveringly fly.

It goes into piano mode again in a while before the song ends. It says "Breathe first, don't get too excited." Exhale and wha, again the beats lead your mind.

02 - M (Above & Beyond remix)

Continuation of energy. Most exhilarating track of the album, and it's my personal favorite. First time I heard this track alone, I was wowed senseless. It should go as the representative track of Above & Beyond. (See my Britney Spears Remixes review when I make one.)

This IS M. This IS Maria, the Virgin Mary, and probably the most Catholic-feeling trance track ever. And everything fits: The shifting of sound waves left to right, depicting space and volume, reminiscent of the original M music video which has Miss Ayumi Hamasaki ("Ayu" for short.) rocking out in a church. But forget rocking out. Think frescoes, stained glass, sunlight through the holiest domes from pictures you see of the St. Peter's Basilica's internals. And think computerized, pixelated into pieces by the cut-fading off of the declaring vocals.

It's like an angel declaring the Virgin Mary she'd be pregnant without having a father. After the song intro, she too probably was wowed senseless, along with everyone else, and all their excitement is embodied into a classic trance song.

And it just goes woo. Everything is more rainbow-y than the first track, yet retaining a subtle calmness, sure of its own composition. Not too super-charged hot, not too melancholic cold, but juuuust right. Tasting the last drop of porridge in the end comes a trademark pop that ends the whole piece commandingly whilst being in the same shade as the rest of its fellow dugshs and tugshs.

03 - Trauma (JamX & De Leon's DuMonde remix)

And the others are more normal, underappreciated (underpolished, really), all having potential but just not shining as brightly as the crowning second track. It depends on the presentation, since this track boasted what it could do on the sequel album Ayu Trance 2.

You can imaginatively spin your own stories for this like I just had. Given, trance is as lifting as graduating from Elementary after having to cope with both academic and social problems and living to appreciate pain to see beauty. I would rather describe this track on the sequel album, where, like graduation pictures, it had this song's better shot.

04 - UNITE! (Airwave remix)

Second favorite. (Track two and four are featured in another multiple-artist trance compilation album, Trance Mission '02, because they are the stand-outs here after all.) Airwave remix -- no nametag could explain this better.

It is as if Ayu's voice was being broadcasted out into space. No unnecessary static here. Actually, there is this tiny not-very-recognizable buzz on the start, but that just helps with the feeling of electricity needed for the being-aired-as-a-wavelength illusion.

In the middle, everything pauses -- as good, obedient trance do -- and vocals scream to be heard, hoping to be empathized to. Again, woo. What happens next is ecstasy that can't be put into words as much as it should be given a go and be paid with deserving attention. Think caves, isolation, cry for company. Scream with Ayu, "UNITE!", a word not ever mentioned in the song. Think being transported into a new world everytime you hear trance music, escapism -- not exactly a solution to everyday problems but a good resting spot/recharger when everything else burrows you down.

05 - SURREAL (Marc et Claude remix)

As much as I like the original version of "SURREAL" itself, I had disappointingly expected a much more creative (Creative, also in the sense that it would have new sounds, would feel like a wholly different event rather than just a more techno-ish-sounding track. That's what remixes are.) approach based from the early tracks.

It's not bad; it still feels "surreal" if you'd like to put it that way, but what is its difference from the original song from which it came from? It's probably from the same piano sound bite from the original. Fly if you want, but you're chained from the start.

(My first review. So wordy. I try for my best shot.)

06 - AUDIENCE (Darren Tate remix)

Almost middle part of the album now. The adventure must have been unforgettably memorable by now. Here we stop over, answer Nature's call in the washrooms, and yes, breathe a little and prepare for the next destination. It's like almost dawn, or after dusk. Watch the stars without all that clutter in your head.

07 - Fly high (Voodoo & Serano remix)

And fly high, like the rest of us. Relax. Live like the commoners, who try to succeed in their individual goals as much as you do. Never forget where you came from after you have just reached Goodness.

(I certainly don't sound like a good music review person. This is about writing the feeling, not just the sounds themselves. Justifying myself is like giving my favorite album a fair promotional review.)

08 - immature (Koglin & Heath remix)

Again, you must continue on your journey -- maturely, of course, or immaturely if you believe it is for the better to see with the innocence of a child.

Why is there suffering? Why are there evil people? Why is the sky blue? It is all only for the glory of their compliments? Perhaps. When will we understand? What is there to do now but to do our best with what we currently know? To do good, to succeed, to make the world a better place.

09 - evolution (Goldenscan remix)

I have a CD of the evolution single along with its six techno variations plus two other Ayu remixes. I first found this Goldenscan remix from P2P and was rather stunned that the song could have another remixes track I didn't have.

For me, it fails compared to the techno versions. Why ever so? Repetitive, hardly-changing quarter beats that follow the predicable lines of every other pop track you'd hear. Why do people make tracks that go by the safety rules? It's like making plates for Fine Arts for the numerical marks, without pleasing anyone including yourself. It's like exactly following the recipes in a cookbook. Why can't you try your own ideas into it, giving it a bit of yourself ergo an identity of yourself, and see how it goes?

(Why don't I tell myself that when I mix my own songs someday?)

10 - kanariya (system F remix)

Things are slowing down now. It follows the quarter beat, but it seems to have its own personality. Probably that lingering sound System F has on his other songs. The echoing vocals idea never falters as well, and works gooda on regular trance.

(Hopefully, I'm writing fairly.)

11 - appears (Armin van Buuren remix)

As with Trauma, its version in the sequel album sounds better. Maybe it's because of the presentation. Maybe because it's faster and more megalomaniac-sounding there.

Otherwise, here, we have something closer to the feeling of regret, like watching sunsets beside the sea. It's so single-tone-sounding; no stereo surround sound abuse like what M does. Feels like the undertones play too much too, and that hissing sound seems to work as added noise. Listening to the middle part, with the sound layers put together, feels like watching a sunset with everything on it: red sun, orange sky, birds swooping down while the darkness of the sea eats everything away.

12 - Boys & Girls (Push remix)

Ah, parties. Can't last forever. They must end, and they must end in a formal manner. Never spoil good time by abruptly cutting off the not-always-noticed background music (but will be when really cut off). Being third to the last is a good place to start, or end.

But as the music says, like all trance music does: Never give up hope. There will always be more parties to go to, more people to meet and more music to skip with. Hoping for your enjoyable time, Trance Music.

13 - UNITE! (Moogwai remix)

Two mixes of UNITE! in one album; it must be something.

It's like day turning over for the night. The ambiance is much cooler, and you get a smoky, foggy surrounding. It is in accordance to the next track and acts as preparation.

I suppose it is fair to say having the same track would make remind the listener of the earlier-placed mix, the fourth track. It is like trance itself which really is made of loops of beats.

14 - A Song for XX (Ferry Corsten Chilled mix)

Is this trance? It's more general-sounding to me. As long as it ends the album with a bidding of farewell. It's the coolest track in the album, and like its namesake, it IS chilled. It's almost as if you were stuck on Antarctica, but it's not so bad since you now close your eyes to rest forever and see where your soul goes to next.

Ah, the journey has ended. It was quite the trip, and a memory-filled one at that, depending on what you were doing and how you were faring while you have chosen to listen to the album. I hope the album is or will be as meaningful to you as it is to me.



Lastly, do you wonder why I didn't give this five stars? It's reserved for the likes of Ayu Trance 2! =D It is certainly my gauge for good trance. See/Hear for yourself.

Hardcore hip-hop from the Land of the Rising Sun! Thank you, dear Stranger. I love you for uploading this rare album. I hope to repay you someday.

Forever my favorite: track 4, "If I...". Love. <3