RATING: 8 / 13 – hitting on my signature sound
At long last, THE BEFORE TROLLS get an album to call their own.
[S] Collide and Act 7 notwithstanding, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a new, proper Homestuck-themed album (the last one was LOFAM 3, another free fan-driven effort, over two years ago). There’s a lot of new names on this anthology, a lot of new, unique directions. The songs are almost entirely original, without relying upon Homestuck’s long list of established motifs and songs.
And it’s long: well over 4 hours of music. I think it’d be a tighter compilation, an easier listen, if it were shorter. But that’s a pitfall common to anthology albums (especially one in which many, many people submit songs), and I understand the rationale, especially for an upstart project like this one.
Projects like these are a great way for new artists to try out their music-making chops. And it’s free! Download the whole album here!
One more passing thought: how the fuck did Cronus of all characters get a plurality of good tracks on this album? Maybe it’s because 50’s surf-style rock is a heretofore unexplored niche in the fandom.
Fuckin’ Cronus. He doesn’t deserve music this good. He doesn’t deserve anything good.