It’s been a long wait between February’s pre-release Abyss and this new Woodz album. His albums have become increasingly rock-focused, unveiling an artist with a unique vision. He rarely promotes the strongest material as title tracks, so I’m eager to dive into the b-sides.
I’m quite surprised Journey was chosen as the single this time around. It delivers a similar energy to Abyss – anthemic but decidedly mid-tempo. The surging instrumental feels built for cinema. I could imagine this playing during the end credits of some fantasy epic, and this sense of closure makes it an odd lead for an album.
By Woodz standards, Journey is very middle-of-the-road. His vocals sound fantastic and I appreciate the drama swirling around every note. But while the song aims for larger than life grandeur, it threatens to drag in places. I wish the energy and pace of the pre-chorus extended to the entire track. In other words, I crave more oomph.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Full leading man soaring torch ballad material.. The kind that gets played over the air in a big box store, because the cleanliness of the vocals in the mix are easy to hear vs trap muddle.
Not the most original, but solid. Well done, Woodz!
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I love it, honestly, even though it does a handful of things that normally irk me (I feel like I should find the chorus much emptier than I do). There really just isn’t anyone out there like Woodz. He’s got one of those voices where I’d be happy to sit and listen to him sing-read a cereal box, so I guess the good music is just a bonus! He feels like a quiet sort of genius.
I found the mini a real treat, so, if you don’t do a full Buried Treasure, please do let me know your general thoughts! Production is tight and vocals are impressive throughout, and the whole thing didn’t go exactly where I was expecting 🙂
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The album is great. So many great bsides.
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Well done, but too weak, as for a typical Woodz title track, ngl.
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ay, bae jaehoon is back!
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WOODZ never fails to deliver great music. This isn’t as strong as his previous releases but it’s still great.
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I like it and the album. I tend to prefer his more bluesy rock material, but this is lovely. Ready to Fight is a great song, and it just got an mv.
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