Making my very first entrance journalism-wise, I write this epic review for The Ansible's most recent EP, “Existing to Repeat”. This soul-shaking work of art is lined with what I believe are songs that everyone needs to hear, especially when they are going through a hard time. It is very seldom that I write in this manner, but this is something that deserves to be talked about. My in-depth track analysis is meant to take people on a cinematic journey that your soul will connect with on a dimensional level that is deeper than the seven seas combined. Let’s get into the content.
Track 01 – “From Here We Fade” This is a song that personally speaks to me.
Melodically, it feels like you are going through a storm where you don’t know where the end of it is. You are trapped in the eye of the storm itself and don’t know where an out for that is. I have personally been in this predicament several times, as I am autistic and can be indecisive a lot of the time when it comes to choosing different paths for myself. As a current college student, I am still having to go through this when it comes to trying to make decisions that come to the light of managing time between writing reviews and my online 12-hour class schedule. My current degree that I am attending for is a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) under the major of International Business Management-- Please remember the message that being disabled does not mean that you are unable.
Track 02 – “Let’s Drop” Right off the bat, the guitars come in on this song, making you feel
as if you are going through an otherworldly and celestial universe; as if you are one with the stars. The drums make it sound like people are walking along a road that is meant for explorers to pursue. The third part of this introduction for the guitar opens with a hauntingly epic three-string section and then like a train, it continues to get into a darker and more melancholy sound. Then there’s this eerie scratch sound from what I believe is the bass before the vocals kick in. In the first line, “Burnt out – Overwhelmed, can’t seem to catch my breath anymore.”, how many of us have felt this way before? With autism, I know firsthand how too many things being done at once can have me overwhelmed to the point where I just shut down. This is a song that holds the message of “Let’s drop our worries at the door and live in the moment as much as we can.” Another line “Fall back into the thoughts that will destroy me” is something that I also deal with when it comes to self-esteem. Even with all that I do, I am guilty of believing what others say to the point where self-esteem wise my world is either made or broken strictly by the words or actions that others tend to say or do around me.
Track 03 – “Unit 01” The first line, “Lately the world has got me going crazy, I am sorry if I
lose my head.”, is something that I think we all have been through. Melodically, this song
sounds like you’re hiking up to the top of a mountain. Guitar-wise, "Unit 01" is a song that has a very adventurous atmosphere. This is the first time I am able to hear the range that this Derril King has, and it is incredibly impressive because he combines the grit with a scream before the final instrumental starts to fade out– a short track, yet strong message.
Track 04 – “Timeslide” Coming right out of the gate this song grabs your attention with the
combination of its chaotic guitars and thunderous drums. One of the lines that stand out is “An endless dive to nothing, graceless eternity.”, because for me this is how people feel when they are in depression, and I have been there. When it comes to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, I got into it first when I was 11 in 2009 through Rock Icons KISS who saved me from the brink of suicide due to bullying in public school, and with them having over 3,000 product licenses to their name I am following their footsteps by going to college for business and combining that with music. I met them at Tulsa’s BOK CENTER at 14 in 2012 and made them my first VIP so that I could tell them this myself - They changed the trajectory of my entire life. "Timeslide" talks about someone needing to gain strength for holding on when you want to fall apart. "Timeslide" is an anthem itself that could save people’s lives the way that KISS’s “Stand” from “Sonic Boom” saved mine. The drums sound like the march of warriors in battle and the guitars have this crunch that the armor from these warriors will make when they march into the battlefield.
Track 05 – “In the Shade” Opening notes literally feel like you want to act on a certain
something but can’t pinpoint what it is. What the vocalist is narrating for people is that those
who are perfectionists have this issue of thinking anything they write down or get done period is wrong when there are others who tell them differently. This feels like you are uncertain at one point but then in another, you start to have the hope that your dreams are coming true. "In the Shade" is literally for me, the place where I find my inspiration for everything be it writing or anything else that I have my hand in for that matter. The guitar solo comes in wailing like it is an outcry of needing inspiration in the face of not knowing what kind of path to choose. This is one of those that will be my theme song for every semester that I pass throughout college.
This EP has a strength of its own; Lyrically, it is bound to make a major impact on a lot of
people. I have a multitude of songs that I personally relate to and so this is a band that I will be more than happy to see when they are doing live shows in Texas. As powerful as the work they did is, I am even more anxious than ever to get a full-length album. “Existing to Repeat” is available to listen to on stream on all streaming platforms, although I encourage everyone who can support the band’s effort by purchasing this unbelievably epic piece of work that they have done.
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