Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Heo Junseong and Kang Min, Lee Doyoung.

Three people’s intense ensemble announced the start and late Kim Jihu’s synth popped out piercing high notes.

Intense metal sound aggressive one shot.

The songwriting of the meticulously planned intro part announcing this song’s identity is metal at the same time throwing the nuance that a bit different from what you knew.

Cha Seoha placed left hand on the mic stand and rode the rhythm with big movements and other members also showed same movements as if became one.

And the audience who saw that also the same.

Shouted like shouting slogans matching big beats and nodded or stretched hands above the sky.

The perfect moment audience and singer becoming one.

The title Awaken included in this regular album was a song with many strange things songwriting-wise genre-wise, even arrangement-wise.

One spoon of youth feel in metal.

Songwriting of minor progression with major feel.

Instruments not running excessively.

But the most bizarre was Korean lyrics popping out in metalcore.

On the stage where light turned off

What left is my shadow.

At that moment stretching hand

I had turned my back

The combination of metal and Korean quite heterogeneous to people who enjoy orthodox metal.

These days Korean metal bands also don’t use Korean lyrics well.

But Oktap hated that.

Wanted not to do what everyone does.

For fans to enjoy listening good to make in frequently used language right?

Thanks to that.

In the audience seats quite people following and singing Awaken.

Intensity as if about to pick a fight with someone right away.

Kang Min’s double kick and low notes Heo Junseong pouring with palm mute.

Such things basically typical feel that have to keep.

But the somehow unknown bright feel felt between that created pleasant heterogeneity.

As if resolving this strange mood in verse’s B part the drums’ frequency reduced to half.

Entering half time in an instant Kang Min’s detail appropriately mixing cymbal and tom.

Heo Junseong gradually removing strength from the right hand minimizing the pick’s movement and started playing mainly with left hand.

And Lee Doyoung forming leisurely atmosphere mainly with slide technique while taking the bass’s range widely.

And between all these things Kim Jihu’s pad dreamily unfolded existed.

Similarly one spoon of Kim Jihu’s heterogeneity in typical metal’s progression.

This is alternative.

The relevant part passed before chorus comes out.

Pre-chorus heightening the atmosphere to the fullest popped out.

In the broken night

Calling your name

Drums and guitar bass played with consistent and easy to listen rhythm.

Gradually raised that tension and speed sense.

Members playing instruments pouring everything directing that fierce moment before chorus comes out.

On the pick plucking strings, on the fingertips touching keys, on both hands gripping the stick containing all emotions.

That moment the atmosphere reaching the peak.

In an instant instruments subsided.

One beat.

Exactly one beat’s silence grazed the stage.

In that fleeting moment Kim Jihu struck the keys descending in semitone progression three times.

A transition of chic direction not even giving reverb drums guitar bass at peculiar timing.

Wake me up

Awaken now

Wake the sleeping heart

Connect the scattered me

Will run again

Only drums stepped on double kick same as intro and other instruments showed sparse leisurely playing.

Progression with bright feel not suiting metal.

Of course the songwriting laid at the base was minor but popular chorus.

Members who were fierce and doing best until the previous part.

Entering chorus found leeway suiting this atmosphere where tension resolves.

Smiling pleasantly and matching eyes with each other.

Now finally Oktap showing a bit of high school student-like appearance.

Wake me up

Awaken Now

The sound calling us

At the place believed the end

I will start again

The chorus of easy to listen melody also appropriate for audience to group sing.

Cha Seoha running around the stage utilizing the narrow stage very widely.

Matching eyes with each and every audience and singing together with them enjoying this moment.

Around the time the song progressed about half Oktap’s members thought such.

Now our harmony matching too well.

Not five individuals playing and singing.

Feeling as if playing one completed music.

An ensemble to the degree such feeling.

Until now done ensemble countless times but no time harmony good like today.

Felt before showcase started.

Strong aspiration of wanting to do well.

Practice amount built until now.

And faced real battle.

All those elements gathered and could do perfect ensemble.

Oktap definitely stage constitution.

First time presenting Awaken as stage.

Actually doing ensemble in front of people felt this song particularly fitting our hands well.

Ordinary the emotion a performer standing on stage feels is conveyed as is to the audience seats.

The audience one and all thinking similar.

Banwol Park busking of course, Star Observation Cam or music broadcast.

Even the stage seen on Killing Band counted as legend this moment much superior.

Sound equipment too lighting too.

Overall stage environment much harsher but Oktap’s performance not affected by such things.

Until previous the use of stages Oktap showed all promotion.

Of course this showcase also had same purpose.

Main purpose stage commemorating album release.

Because a stage full of Oktap’s personal greed felt sincerity natural.

And that heart was conveyed as is to the audience seats.

“Waaaa!!”

The audience’s sincere cheers were that evidence.

That excellent ensemble entered the 2nd verse.

Cha Seoha didn’t particularly present star quality at this place.

Gestures a world pop star would show.

Expression acting or cool choreography.

Such things none at all.

Just communicating with the audience and enjoying the stage with friends.

Meanwhile Cha Seoha thought such.

‘Still showing such appearance a bit fun no?’

Enjoying also good.

If something worth seeing added better.

As soon as 2nd verse started Cha Seoha half squatted in front of the stage and sang.

Very blatantly acting cute to the audience sitting at the very front.

Seductive eye light and drooping posture.

Even roughly gripped mic faithful to details bewitching people.

“Waa! Kyaaang!”

The audience standing in front shouted cheers close to screams.

A few people even stopped jumping and playing until a little while ago and froze while covering mouths.

Cha Seoha briefly thought a bit excessive reaction but if fun that was enough.

Like that 2nd verse and chorus also ran smoothly together with hot on-site atmosphere.

As soon as 2nd verse finished Cha Seoha falling back and spotlight poured on Heo Junseong.

Guitar solo that can be called the flower of rock.

Before the chorus’s reverb even fully disappeared.

Somehow Heo Junseong had walked out to the center of the stage and started playing with quite serious attitude.

The guitar took a big breath then spat one stuffy note.

That short note like exhalation slowly pulled up.

Soon as if the pressed breath bursting the guitar vomited a scream.

The end of that scream shook widely and was trembling long hanging on the stage.

The string’s resonance barely enduring like that.

Before the audience’s cheers raised head again Heo Junseong’s hand moved first.

Even though picking stopped the note continued without cutting.

Sound generated only with left hand flowed down sliding on the frets.

Gradually speed attached to the playing.

Heo Junseong started showing off the climax of this solo part earnestly entering.

Becoming the protagonist always exciting thing.

Heo Junseong boasting his playing more flashily than the original, longer.

Showing tapping he usually liked most to heart’s content and immersed in joy.

As speed sense felt the cheering audience.

This song’s climax clearly this solo part.

A passage that very well showed Heo Junseong’s growth.

The evidence of that growth not simply because of flashiness.

His growth was well organizing his own rise and fall within the part given to himself.

Finishing flashy tapping and the pick starting to sweep the strings up and down again.

Chords shattering and pouring.

As arpeggio fell like a waterfall the band’s rhythm raised body again.

The moment solo part ends and everyone becomes one again.

Bass following low and drums carefully opening the hi-hat.

Finally the synth’s high note bursting and catching the hurried breath.

Music breathing again.

As if sprinting with full power toward just one target point.

Heo Junseong walking back to the seat and sharing eye light with Cha Seoha heading to the center of the stage.

Inside that eye light numerous conversations existed.

Like that passing the bridge and reached the last chorus.

In the last chorus all instruments’ speed sense reached the extreme.

Now really the last.

Wake me up

Awaken now

Wake the sleeping heart

Connect the scattered me

Will run again

Cha Seoha’s vocal became one layer rougher.

Vocal cords rubbing to the degree burdensome and body movements even bigger.

Song full of such emotion of thrusting fist forward and rising again from the regrettable past life.

And playing overflowing with welcome heart as if waiting for such Cha Seoha.

At their perfect ensemble and unity the audience also feeling some unexplainable joy.

After the chorus ended in the very long and long dragging band-style outro Cha Seoha ran around between all instruments maintaining so the atmosphere doesn’t sag.

The audience fully excited at that shouted cheers not cutting like the playing.

Kang Min struck crash of consistent and very long intervals a few times.

Other instruments also matching that scraped strokes or plucked strings or struck keys.

And the last.

Together with the long continuing outro Oktap’s first showcase’s, first day’s, first song ended.

* * *

Following the first song Oktap called a few more songs without rest.

As second song Cruise as the next song the most exciting song in this album track 3 Ashes in My Mouth called.

With crazy song selection the atmosphere heated one layer.

After the seats somewhat organized Cha Seoha started continuing ment into the mic.

“Fun!!!?”

“Yeees!!!!”

“Waaa!!!!”

Barely 100 people.

Among reserved even 7 people who couldn’t come.

The size of cheers 93 people emit to the degree not envious of super large arena.

Hearing their voices felt how well enjoying this performance.

Cha Seoha who felt proud for no reason.

At the same time sorry also surged and said into the mic.

“We wanted to catch a bit big performance hall but as you know we all students so money lacking.”

At these words most people thought all understand fine.

But in every corner suddenly murmuring started blooming.

“What? Company not recruiting performance hall?”

“Hey, this idiot. Words no company.”

“Ah, not celebrity?”

Some people who didn’t know the truth came to know the inside.

The controversy until now a thing done with one word.

But because didn’t particularly reveal the truth until now Oktap could come up to here.

The first regular album’s showcase rode a successful flow.

Originally scheduled performance time one hour.

But at endless encore requests did 30 minutes more and ended.

Originally had to pay additional cost but the performance hall owner said saw fun performance after a long time and didn’t receive additional cost.

That owner also probably a veteran who did music in the past.

The audience layer who came to see Oktap’s showcase various people.

Fans natural and people who were originally anti.

And people with no particular interest but followed friends and they in the end became Oktap’s fans.

Kang Min’s old colleagues also there.

People active as players in the current band scene and they also after seeing Oktap’s performance had no choice but to acknowledge.

And, one special person who didn’t know Oktap also viewed their showcase.