singemfrc 
Joined: 10 Aug 2007
Posts: 4407
Location: California
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 Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:49 pm Post subject: SEASON 30 BEGINS! New DLC from Varials and Linkin Park! |
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| Harmonix wrote: | Linkin Park Given Up and Varials Circles are powerful expressions of anger and defiance supported by expert compositional skill and rock-solid musicianship. You dont wanna sleep on this heady new DLC debuting this Thursday in the Rock Band Music Store.
Released in March 2008 as the fourth single from Linkin Parks third LP, Minutes to Midnight, Given Up is a prime example of the potent, emotional performances that lifted the Agoura Hills five-piece to the top of the alternative metal/melodic hardcore heap at the beginning of the aughts. From start to finish, this number is drop-D guitar/quiet-loud dynamics/heart-on-sleeve/bombastic sonic perfection. Beginning with sparse percussion, the track then adds a gnarly muted strumming-pattern rhythm guitar figure before the song opens up with full-band at around 14 seconds in and, truly, opens up is an apt description, as the aural transition feels like a shift from transistor radio to epic 5.1 surround-sound. Instrumentally, Dave Farrells aggressive bass line and Rob Bourdons powerfully confident drums do the heavy lifting during the verses, as the guitars pull back to better shine a light on the vocal performance and deeply personal lyrics, examining themes of alienation and desperation. Its all hands on deck again for the soaring, impactful, and instantly catchy chorus, though. Again, theres a reason why Linkin Park reached the highest of highs, connecting with millions upon millions of fans globally, and their many merits are on full display with this banger. Then-frontman Chester Bennington stated that his contributions to the lyrics (many of which were penned by vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda), drew upon his pre-rehab troubles with alcohol. "I wasn't leaving my house, he said in a 2008 interview. I would shack up in my closet in the dark and shake all day. I would wake up and have a pint of Jack Daniel's to calm down, then I'd pop a bunch of pills and go back in my closet and f--king freak out. I was a mess It was f--king ridiculous. I was a total wreck."
The torment and despair of such a miserable day-to-day existence is palpably expressed in Benningtons impassioned scream (Misery!) at the 2:26 mark of the songs breakdown that he famously holds for a full 17 seconds a moment that has evolved to become Given Ups signature feature. Following that memorable interlude, the song returns one last time to the refrain before the entire group hits the brakes hard just past the 3-minute point. If youre already on board with Linkin Park, you dont need to be told that youll be playing this one again and again; If this is your first exposure to this legendary hard rock institution, welcome to your new favorite group!
Scars For You To Remember, released in October of 2022, finds Philadelphia-based metalcore/alt metal five-piece Varials mining familiar musical and lyrical themes to great effect much of the time, but with Circles the group explores somewhat different sonic territory. A slower melodic number, this track might subvert the assumptions of fans expecting the full-tilt sonic carnage of earlier material. The intro features a sparse chiming guitar dripping with effects joined by a digitally distorted vocal, supported by spare hi-hat hits before a thumpy, tom-driven drum pattern emerges at around the :33 mark, followed by the entire group kicking in a few moments later. Sean Rauchuts hard-hitting, tom-heavy drums continue throughout the track and in many ways Rauchut is the star of the show here. His precision and creativity are expertly executed and help Circles stand out as a unique achievement within the genre. Which is not to say Mike Foleys deft bass work, James Hohenwarters and Mitchell Rogers restrained (sometimes!) guitar parts, or importantly Mitchell Rogers largely clean vocals (with gasp! harmonies, to boot) arent equally essential to what the band has achieved with this one. As noted earlier, Varials dials back the heaviness a touch for Circles, adding a degree of harmonic and structural nuance that represents a welcome and admirable evolution. The band has said as much, themselves: Circles is a new, but familiar style for the band. Weve touched on sounds like this before, but this is the melodic climax of the record and our career this far. We hope to take this sound further into the future. But never fear, longtime fans: the songs outro provides something of a return to the familiar Varials mayhem. At precisely two minutes in (by design?), Rogers clean vocals give way to full-on, scream-sing angst fury with the instrumental performances matching his intensity beat for beat. A powerful, ferocious breakdown to remember for sure, and one hell of a way to cap off an adventurous and satisfying 3:15 salvo of heavy rock! |
Available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PS5:
(Most tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation systems approximately 3 days after listed date)
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **
Note: As of this post, above tracks marked with  are available for the Xbox One/Xbox Series X and tracks marked with  are available for PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5; these tracks are not compatible with Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii.
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