UREED – Aaeina (KM Album Review)

By Hasan Faridi

After the mood swinging number named “Chahat” and various bits and piece releases, Ureed are back with a new album called Aaeina. It has been a long wait, but definitely worth it.

Ureed is an Arabic term and means “Desire”. Eddie takes care of the lyrics and composition, while Jonathon masters the guitars, bass and drums sequencing. Both members have had tonnes of experience in the music industry. The capability of these only 2 members is limitless in the new album, with the help of a few talented others including Yasir Jaswal, Hammad Safdar, Naseer Chaman, Aashir Ghafoor, Salman Zaidi and Saqib Nasir.

The debut album Aaeina was recorded at Tritone Studio in Islamabad and is produced by the band itself. The album had been mixed and mastered by Sam (Of Akash fame). This album is said to be the story of Eddie’s life. The aim of this album was to have a musical compilation that anyone could relate too.

The album starts off with the old release “Chahat”. As far as I can remember, this track was the first I heard from Ureed, and it’s a pleasure listening to this mood-swinging number again just like the good old days. Packed with slow verses, powerful choruses and fast-paced solos, it’s a hooking start to the album.

Hum Nahien” starts with the sound of a bass followed by the Dumbeg played by Saqib Nasir. Hard-hitting riffs and razor-sharp solos fill this track with pure power, leaving the sound imprinted into your brain. Eddie’s vocals are the most powerful, ending the song with ‘Hum Nahien’ fading out. This song was released before the album, like “Zameer”, another hard rock number.

Enough of the hard rock, it’s time for mellow love tunes. “Kyun” is a beautiful song, with acoustic rhythms played by Jonathan and soulful vocals sung by Eddie. The main acoustic solos nicely lighten the mood, while the electric guitar solo brings up the pace.

“Tum Meray Ho” and “Aao Chalein” are the album’s mellowest tracks. As the acoustic guitar plays, Eddie shows exactly how soulful his voice can go. “Tum Meray Ho”s bridge brings the song to a climax, and Eddie once again captures us all, especially the random but fitting whistles in “Aao Chalein”. These songs are one of the best songs in the album without a doubt, filled with soulful lyrics easy to relate to, especially the lovers amongst us.

As the album progresses, Ureed show a more grunge and rock side to them, again. The song “Humsafar” drifts to the pop punk category, containing mellow and hard music throughout. The screeching electric solo and keyboard solos add to the feel as the song turns acoustic and fades to a close. Each part of this song has something new to bring to our ears.

“Hawa” starts with spiritual-sounding percussion’s and an eerie solo. This song starts off slow-tempo with acoustics playing at the back of Eddie’s vocals, but gradually changing to electric riffs and hard-hitting drums. The vocals at the bridge are the best part. It ends with ghoulish-sounding guitars. Eerie like it was in the beginning. Nevertheless, this is the most emotional song in the album.

If you love sound effects and modern-style music, “Gunah” is perfect for you. The song is packed with DJ scratches, alien-sounding keyboards and drums sequencing. It has all the emotion inside. Well what do you expect; it’s about ‘Gunah’, and with such a great vocalist like Eddie, you can expect all that.

The album finishes brilliantly with the self-titled track “Aaeina”. The song starts slow and suddenly becomes a more paced, rock track with a sharp solo. If you haven’t already noticed, it even has the catchy lyrics from the previous “Agar”, which is like a counter-part to “Aaeina”, but a full version. Both songs are still amazing.

I downloaded the free album when it was released and it’s stuck on replay. This album suits everyone’s tastes and is without a doubt, one of the best and most addictive albums to be released from Pakistan this competitive year. Ureed have some videos and a second album planned. It’s only the beginning.

Download Album: Aaeina (2010)