Pendulum — Elemental — EP Review
Drum N Bass | Electronic Rock | Alternative EDM
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
Ladies and gentlemen, I give the you the first Pendulum project in just over a decade!
Unlike quite the majority of albums I have reviewed in recent memory, the likes of Pendulum have actually been a band that I have enjoyed since my teenhood. Getting into the Australian Drum N Bass band through a selection of tracks found on their 2007 album Hold Your Colour (such as “Tarantula”, “Blood Sugar”, and the title track), I then went on to enjoy a variation of other tunes they put out.
I also took a great liking to their 2010 album Immersion, which oddly enough, was the very last batch of original material that fans would get from pendulum, until now!
I believe it was through Album of the Year’s upcoming releases page, that I discovered this newest effort from Pendulum, in the form of an EP titled Elemental. And although the website I found this out on was a little early regarding its release date, it gave me a good opportunity to skim through one of the three teaser tracks the band had put out.
The only real reason for just giving one a listen, was that I didn’t want to spoil too much ahead of Elemental’s release. This ended up actually being a smart play, considering the EP in full contains only four tracks; but more on that later. The teaser track I did give a few plays, titled “Come Alive” impressed me in the sense that they have managed to retain a lot of their old aesthetic into a more modern spectrum.
This quality ultimately transpired into the full body of Elemental, whilst also serving up a great amount of versatility for an EP of its size. The opening track “Driver” really brings it back to the roots of Pendulum, as easily feels the most nostalgic, and arguably the most explosive of Elemental’s tracks, for that reason.
Following this, is the awesome “Nothing for Free”, which starts off with a traditional EDM feel, before exploding into a dramatically epic and hard-hitting chorus beat. Third up is the most serene of the tracks, in regards to its mood; that obviously being “Louder Than Words”. And closing the EP off, is the aforementioned “Come Alive”, with its almost nu-metal vibe.
So, as brushed upon earlier, the biggest discrepancy I have towards this EP is its stingy portion of just four tracks. This would normally be quite excusable, by EP standards. but you have to consider that this is the first project we’ve gotten from Pendulum in OVER TEN YEARS! That being said, a whole decade to wait for four tracks seems like a pretty rough deal.
But if I push that long wait to the back of my mind, I can still appreciate the Elemental EP for being a quality over quantity kind of situation. And I can always hope, as a fan, that this project is just a taste of things to come, in a brand new chapter from this awesome group.
Favourite Tracks: Nothing For Free | Come Alive
Least Favourite Track: n/a
Earstorm Records
Enjoyment: ★★★★ | Memorability: ★★★★ | Atmosphere: ★★★★
Uniqueness: ★★★★ | Satisfaction : ★★★ | Narrative: ★★★
