SINGLE REVIEW: Aura - "goodmorningtokyo" (Tokyo's Revenge Cover)
Aura blend trap beats with crushing djent rhythms in their cover of “GoodMorningTokyo!”
Written by JD Walker
A trend that’s been arising in the metalcore and hardcore scene lately is combining two genres that are heavy in their own respective ways for one slamming creation: trap music and djent. In Aura’s rendition of “GoodMorningTokyo” by Tokyo’s Revenge, the band stayed true to the same of the soundscapes in the original while adding their own heavy grit and attitude to the track.
The song begins with a more ominous delivery of the chiming notes of the original beat before quickly divulging crunchy chugs and a more aggressive vocal delivery. Vocalist Nyshawn Rudd did an excellent job of matching Tokyo’s Revenge in terms of phrasing and dynamics, though Rudd’s delivery was much more energetic and meshed well with the syncopated chugs of guitarists Tim Davis and Dre Dreese and bassist Bobbie McWilliams. Drummer Zach Burkett was brutal in his phrasing on the bass drum and offered creative, ear-catching fills while not being afraid to dip into a more reserved groove.
The video for Aura’s cover of “GoodMorningTokyo!” fit the vibe of the song perfectly and was as intense of a performance video as they ever come. The video depicts the band performing in a graffiti-covered abandoned warehouse, and the camera movement as well as after effects added to the grittiness and raw feeling of the song. The video switches between the band and scenes of Rudd tagging walls of his own and sporting an AR-15 that further pushed the intensity of the song and visuals. Overall the video was an impressive display of energetic performance from the band with excellent camerawork and scenery.
Aura not only did justice to the original version of “GoodMorningTokyo!”, they arguably made it even better. The instrumental orchestration of the cover was both creative and unique to the band’s style but stayed genuine to the motifs and soundscapes of the original tune. Rudd’s performance that transitions from rapping to pitch screams was both impressive and added to the solvency of their cover of a massive song. Aura knocked it out of the park with this Punk Goes Rap cover and are an exciting group to encapsulate the evolution of the genre and the conjoining of two starkly contrasting sounds into one well-rounded banger.