Tiasu continues to be one of my favourite chiptune composers. Each album Tiasu creates has a slightly different vibe to it but the core elements of killer melodies, thick beats and impressive layering always remain. ‘Due’ was released last month and is another fine example of Tiasu’s work.
Opening with the title track, there is a Gothic Metroidvania feel throughout. From the aggressive bass to the rousing pulsating melody, the track is designed to get you into battle. The Gothic Metroidvania feel comes from the chord progressions and tone and they carry through into the epic ‘Speak Out’ and the spacious charger ‘Paralysis’. The beauty of these tracks lie in the way they both have b-movie horror elements to them and you could swap out the main synth for a demon organ and you’d have a Dreamworks film theme. ‘Sweet Solemn’ then takes that horror feel and mixes it with soaring synth pads and heavy kick drums for a tripping EDM classic.
From here the album starts to diversify out a little. ‘Disappearing Policy’ reminds me of the ZX Spectrum days although the chipset is cleaner and more developed. Fakebit is now an established thing and here’s a great example of it. Chiprock blasts out with the stunning ‘Ratio’ with its guitar grizzle white noise and epic breakdown motifs. ‘Monsters’ then sounds like a track from the game ‘Retro/Grade’. It’s bombastic drums and cinematic bass hooks make it a quintessential boss style track. ‘Bitter Thief’ then surprises everyone with a vocal chiprock piece. The vocals are sung ensemble and sound like they are layered with pitch bend but in a rowdy way. If anything it feels more like a pirate sea shanty with a chiptune background! Tiasu then returns with two killer tracks in the similar vein of the Gothic Metroidvania style. Both ‘Entire’ and ‘Finite’ rock out to the core and feel end boss worthy – particularly the latter track. It feels like we’ve done a full circle, given our dues and are ready to battle again.
Tiasu continues to be at the forefront of innovative composers in the chip music world. Able to balance technical wizardry and blinding melodies – ‘Due’ is a fantastic place to start for anyone wondering what all the fuss I make about this genre of music is about.
Recommended track: Speak Out
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Tiasu - Due
