Ferocious, robust & RAW – This is Sub Sonik’s ‘Strike One’

It seems as though Raw Hardstyle marvel Sub Sonik has risen to prominence in the blink of an eye! Dropping his first tunes on WE R’s catalogue in 2015, in just two years this fierce Scorpio has not only managed to uphold a steady schedule of releases, but has also manifested one hell of a career.

In 2016, Sub Sonik made a clear name for himself when he unveiled his thundering remix for Darude’s classic “Sandstorm.” Following this up with collaborations with the likes of Digital Punk, Sub Zero Project and even Hardcore act D-Fence, it’s safe to say that it would be pretty damn hard to top the shenanigans of last year.

Entering 2017 with news of an astronomical level, each and every raw fan-bois wet dream was coming true when Sub Sonik announced that his debut album ‘Strike One’ was becoming a reality! Spread across two disks, this showcase contains new, unheard releases as well as some of his recent hits.

Shall we get down to business?! I won’t bore you with microscopic details about every single track. Instead, I’m going to speak about some of my personal favourites from the album, as well as the importance of younger acts bringing out an album during the early stages of their career.

‘Strike One,’ aka a raw fan-boi’s wet dream

As an entity, ‘Strike One’ is a consistent album with one theme that resonates throughout the album. First and foremost, every single track title abides by the painful ‘raw Hardstyle’ archetype, all displaying typical themes of death, violence and power. Although I do search for something a little deeper when it comes to listening, I must admit that on the dance-floor these kinds of concepts perform extremely well. In terms of its listening value, I always appreciate tracks built around an intelligent or deep storyline, however in comparison with the rest of Sub Sonik’s discography, I’d say that he’s merely sticking to his own personal sound and style. So, for those looking for consistency, then this album is for you.

Just two years down the road in his exploding career and Sub Sonik has already released an album. Risky? Yes. Risks paying off? Fuck yes. Personally, I feel as though it’s important for youngsters to give it a go and bring out an album. Why? Because it’s not only a way to tell the world ‘hey, this is me’ but it’s also a strong reference point that allows them to grow and improve as artists. For instance, Ilmar has probably learnt a shitload during the process of creating and releasing ‘Strike One’ and he’s probably already reviewing marketing tactics, production techniques and other strategies that have, or haven’t worked. For rising artists, embarking on a huge musical project like an album can be incredibly fruitful, especially when it’s an impressive body of work.

STRIKE with some Raw beats!

Kicking off the album is the melodic, but robust “One” featuring MC Villain. From the initial seconds of this track, I knew it’d be the perfect way to open ‘Strike One.’ Warming listeners up for what’s to come, this tuneful number is a pleasant listen to say the least.

Sub Zero Project and Sub Sonik are two acts that are approximately on the same level in terms of their career and general public appeal. Working in the studio together before, the guys have jumped right in to create the stand-out track “Ready For This.” I was pleasantly surprised with this collaboration, mainly because I expected something a lot rougher from the guys – but hey, the track turned out as the perfect dance-floor slammer!

Another collaboration that really stood out to me was “My Way” with Deetox. It’s hard, tough, contains an energetic and driving melody and totally makes me want to inappropriate, illegal activities, whilst screaming “MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!”

It’s evident that Sub Sonik found his feet pretty quickly in terms of creating and upholding a recognisable sound. Comprising of monstrous, distorted kicks, outrageous vocals and (at times) unexpected melodies, this strong signature is exhibited in the numerous powerful solos included on the album. When it comes to Sonik’s solos, my personal favourites are “No Fear,” and the ravaging “Nightmare.” Both being total bangers, for me these are the strongest solo productions on ‘Strike One.’

Another boundary-breaking production is “Push It Back” with Atmozfears. It’s always exciting to see Atmozfears stepping away from his fluffy and cheesy euphoric productions, but this time, he’s gone full f*cking throttle and doesn’t even hold back the slightest.

Of course every album must include a token experimentalist track – and on ‘Strike One,’ the honour has been given to Aussie titan Delete to remix Sonik’s colossal hit “Look At Me Now.” I still can’t get over how innovative and creative Delete is; he really is one of the few artists in Hardstyle who has such a different sound, but manages to manifest immense success from this bizarreness.

And to close ‘Strike One’ down on a hard note are three insane closing tracks! Remixes by Tha Playah and Destructive Tendencies amp up the tempo, thus paving the way for the big finale track, which is Sub Sonik’s savage remix of Dione’s “Pain Till I Die.”

Did he deliver…?

For raw Hardstyle fanatics seeking out an album that’ll push them through a heavy workout or get them amped up to kickroll for hours at a party, then yes, ‘Strike One’ is the ultimate go-to. This album is brutal, energetic and rough, which are all the key components of what Sub Sonik stands for as an artist. On the flipside, if you’re after something musical, philosophical and emotional then ‘Strike One’ probably isn’t your cup of tea.

For me, there were no major surprises on the album – which, in retrospect, has its pros and cons. Of course with a debut album there’s a certain level of execution one can reach, so I hope that in the future Sub Sonik can take what he’s learnt from ‘Strike One’ and continue developing himself.

Purchase STRIKE ONE: https://www.noizevizion.com/sub-sonik-strike-one-album.html