Album Review: DJ NO FEAR - Endeavor

DJ NO FEAR, a solo electronic artist, presents his debut album, Endeavors, transforming the challenges of creating a first album into an electronic metal whirlwind of emotions associated with making that initial leap.

Creating one’s first album is always a scary and unpredictable undertaking. It can also be an exciting one. For Electronic artist DJ No Fear, such a concept is what would birth the idea for Endeavor. Composed of 10 tracks, this razor-sharp sonic tornado of twists and turns is not only the first step in the artist’s career, tinged with a hint of trepidation within its soundscapes, but also a chapter representing the overcoming of obstacles to push and reach new horizons.

Endeavor

From the beginning, Endeavor starts its adrenaline-filled journey with “Initiation,” “Dread Profusion,” and “Apprehension.” Feeling very much like you are stepping into the world of a video game, Endeavor doesn’t waste any time pulling the listener in with a myriad of unique sounds that really take control and dominate the audio sensors. A gravid mixture of aggravated guitars and frenetic electronic elements dominates the tracks. It creates a deeply cinematic and immersive introduction for the kinetic sensory overload that continues to paint the album.

From there, Endeavor proceeds to keep taking the listener down this chaotic rabbit hole of hyper-induced instrumental euphoria with “Determination, Momentum, and one of the album's major highlights, “Desolation.” Reaching new levels of ethereal experimentation, these tracks explore other areas of the musical stratosphere, using industrial and drum and bass to keep the energy going. While things in Endeavor could go the opposite direction of adding too much into each singular experience, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Endeavor. The “more is more” approach is effortlessly applied to many of these experiences; applying the pressure and knowing when to pull back is one of the album's greatest strengths, creating an experience that feels fresh, measured, and transcendent.

DJ NO FEAR

The last tracks on the album, “Resilience,” “Persistence,” “Triumph,” and melodic powerhouse, “Resolve,” take the album into a heavier sandstorm of musical elements and are perhaps the strongest part of the record for when DJ No Fear uses all of his tools in his arsenal to embody a fluctuation of emotional upheaval, one that bobs and weaves between unbridled confidence and this lingering doubt that hangs in the massive bombast of elements continue to reach that climb to inner peace after the enormous swell of anxiety and fear that comes from any artist beginning there new journey as a solo artist.

Endeavor is a solid first effort for the artist, with hairpin turns that both excite and intrigue. DJ No Fear possesses a certain relentless fortitude in his music writing abilities. One that can tell a story about their progression from taking that first step to creating a large project like this, and what it takes to stay committed to the project. If one is looking to dive into a world of electronic endurance dipped in a serrated metallic edge, Endeavor is a record that will certainly keep the ball rolling and on one’s toes.