Despite my initial hesitance, &TEAM’s Firework perfected the synth-inflected side of HYBE’s oeuvre. Somehow, that song leveraged the agency’s faceless vocal processing as an asset, tying it to strong hooks and a compelling atmosphere. This success raised the stakes for &TEAM’s first full album, but new single War Cry takes a different approach.
Unlike with Firework, I’m not predisposed to love War Cry‘s sound. Its rock influences are suitably dramatic, but the halting tempo gives me pause. The members belt out the melodies, echoing the cathartic appeal of a “war cry,” and the track gathers steam as it rolls toward its conclusion. But rather than feel like a steadily growing beast, War Cry lurches here and there. Its verses are filled with dramatic exclamations but not enough rhythm for my taste. And, none of the melodies are all that appealing.
However, War Cry‘s gritty atmosphere crafts a grungy, anthemic tone that works well for the group. As a performance piece, there’s plenty to like here. It feels like a climactic moment in an action movie — a pre-battle scene stuffed with the toil of exertion and driven by an emotional rawness that feels authentic in the moment but less impactful once the dust has settled.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Better than Fireworks, Aespa – Hold On Tight moment where I’m confounded on why their best track is not even a full length song.
Also props on the rock sound they they kept building and no dissapoint like Xikers – Rockstar where they did a cop out
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how come every boy group in this day and age feel the need to do a dark concept. This isnt required
6.75/10
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first two seconds sounded promising, and then that awful ‘rap’ started 🐺 did you know they’re dark, edgy bad boys???
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the song sounds too flat to me and this overall is a MAJOR downgrade from firework imo, idk whats happening with slow rabbit recently? also why is a title track 2:19 seconds long…
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I have to admit I’m pretty disappointed in this comeback after Firework. However, out of the new songs on the album, Dropkick is super frothy and fun. It even has a key change!
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Tbh i thought i would love it based on the preview but im left feeling a bit disappointed. Fireworks may just be my most played song this year so i was expecting a lot from war cry. At least the other new songs are nice and enjoyable.
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I like this better than Fireworks but I feel like hybe can do better for them. These okes gave txt gbgb and enha fever, they can do so much better than what they’re giving this boygroup
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I liked everything they did previously. This just seems to go nowhere very noisily with no payoff. It gives me no aural pleasure. I could see it in a concert though, to kick things off. And it has cool choreography.
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This title track did nothing for me but I have to say “Dropkick” (bside) is IT
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